


Cadarverous

by CrusnikRoxas



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Angst, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Dark, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Protagonist, Fluff and Smut, Horror, Horrortale Papyrus (Undertale), Horrortale Sans (Undertale), POV Second Person, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Slow Burn, Soulbonds, Soulmates, Violence, We're all mad down here >:3, Well eventual fluff and smut, like seriously this is dark, reader is immortal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:41:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21808357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrusnikRoxas/pseuds/CrusnikRoxas
Summary: Forever is a long time.And being immortal, you sadly know that better than anyone.Now living in a world gone mad with hunger and death, there's only one thing that's important to you - the health and happiness of your sister.Yes, that's all that's important.......isn't it?
Relationships: Sans (Horrortale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/You
Comments: 149
Kudos: 215





	1. Puer natus est Ruber

That child had been red. That was one of the few things that you could remember about them distinctly.

Red eyes.

Red soul.

Red, red blood that ran like the rivers you liked to frequent in the sweet summer evenings. Running thick through the gutters of your village.

The only thing that wasn’t red about them was their personality; no, that had most definitely been black, blacker than pitch.

Yes, you remembered their love of dismembering local cats and wild birds, long before they fell into the maw of the Underground, the hole that the whole village had avoided like the plague – after all, the villagers had some sense, in that respect. Who would dare to venture to a place where no-one returned from? Unless one wished for such a thing, of course.

And when they finally, shockingly emerged, you could see that same grim glimmer of sadistic amusement in those red eyes as they they screamed for ‘help’.

~

“Somebody! Anybody, please, _help me!_”

You looked up curiously at the screaming voice of a panicked child, but otherwise made no move to help; you had vital herbs for the tonic to gather, your sister needed them desperately. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to help someone in need, exactly, but…

….your sister was all that mattered to you. She was all you had left.

The locals in the vicinity around you had no such obligations however, immediately fussing over the sobbing child; their clothes were ragged, a strange film of silver dust upon their skin and matted hair – skin that was peppered with a myriad of cuts and bruises.

While they murmured softly among themselves, you returned to your picking – wild garlic was essential, that was for sure-

Your focus on gathering was only truly broken when the villagers began to panic; a woman started to cry hysterically, covering her face with clawed hands, the men starting to speak to one another in low, serious voices.

There seemed to be an unspoken decision between them all; and soon, the child was quickly being ferried towards the centre of town – and despite the rather meagre pickings of herbs you’d managed to find, you found yourself following after their entourage, curious as to what all the fuss was about. After all, at the very least, it would be a tale to bring home to the eager ears of your sister, who was currently unable to leave her bed – what you’d managed to find would suffice, for now.

Word of the scandal had spread quickly, and soon the vast majority of the village had gathered, whispering among themselves as the child was led up to the platform used for public hangings, the governor standing upon it importantly, clearly waiting for them. The governor at the time had been a serious man with the blackest of hair, his eyes cruel and cold, akin to blue chips of glass.

You’d never liked the man – in fact, you’d go as far to say that you hated him, and all he stood for. Corrupt power that could never be questioned….it brought back far too many bad memories.

He motioned for the crowd to quiet with one wave of his hand, which they did without complaint – he was not a man to argue with, not if you valued your life.

“….I have no doubt that you are all curious as to why I am standing here on this fine day, but that will all become clear with the words of this child. I’m sure that you are aware that this is in fact, Frisk – and while it is _truly_ a most holy blessing-”  
He almost seemed to sneer as those words left his lips.  
“-that they have been brought back to us safely, I am afraid they they harbour a most shocking tale. Speak, child. Tell the village of your woes.”

You stuff down an incredulous chuckle at his words – Frisk hadn’t been searched for once during their absence. The villagers were no strangers to the child’s horrific acts and mannerisms; the amount of ‘accidents’ that always seemed to occur around them, not to mention the unnatural colour of the child’s eyes – though of course, nothing had ever been truly done about it, as they were still a child, an ‘innocent’. You knew better; you knew that look in their eyes, that bitter amusement in the misfortune and pain of others.

It had been the very look your mother had carried before she passed.

Shaking yourself slightly, you focused your attentions back on the ‘pedestal’ Frisk had suddenly found themselves placed on.

Even with the tears drying on their cheeks, their expression was positively _gleeful_ – you had to wonder if it was as obvious to the others, but to you? This wasn’t a child suffering from any kind of trauma – no, that look in their eyes was euphoria, no doubt.

“Fellow villagers! I bring grave news, grave news indeed.”

The crowd murmurs nervously, looking to one another, their gazes unsure – perhaps they were a little more aware than you gave them credit for.

“The mountain whispered to be cursed for years – I have found the rumours to be true, very true indeed. Vicious monsters, no, _demons_ lurk beneath our very feet as we speak!”

Frisk lets out an exaggerated sniff, their face twisting in apparent torment as they clutch their chest, the villagers around you starting to whisper with even more unease, only to be instantly silenced by a singular look from the governor.

“I….I barely escaped with my life, you know. They thirst to devour our very _souls_, everything that we are, everything we will be – but fear not! I fought back, and I emerged victorious!”

Frisk’s grin suddenly becomes almost manic, a sickening laugh falling from their lips, leaving the villagers around you in wide-eyed shock; if there was any doubt about this child’s mental state, there certainly wasn’t any now.

Still, that look and sound even had shivers running up and down your hardened spine.

“I beat them back into submission! Their king is dead, and I have taken what they were going to use in order to emerge from the mountain and rain terror down upon us. I have saved you. _I have saved you! _You have nothing to fear now!”

A voice speaks up suddenly from the crowd; the well respected local carpenter, his moustache twitching as he runs a shaking hand through his hair.

“But what of the other demons? Surely you did not….kill them all? They are sure to find another means of escape!”

The governor, surprisingly, does nothing to silence him; having seen the child’s manic display, his upper lip was curling in clear disgust, the same question prevalent in his eyes. Frisk seems to hesitate for the barest of moments, before the mania once again rises to the surface, their eyes bright with their ‘achievement’. You had to shove down the bile rising in your throat – surely this was another one of their sick jokes? One gone too far, definitely, but….

….it had to be a lie. Surely.

“They….they will starve and wither away long before that! I also sabotaged their only means of light – their supplies will soon run dry, and they will be unable to sustain themselves!”

“But this way of escape that you spoke of? Surely they will re-create it, child? They are demons, after all! Creatures composed of human sin!”

Clear irritation flickered behind Frisk’s blood-red eyes, their smile pasted on as they locked gazes with the defiant carpenter. But before they could speak another word, the governor stood a little taller, that ice-cold demanding air gaining all attention.

“….from what I have gathered, child, you have doomed us all.”

Everyone falls to terrified silence at his words, even the child, who glared up at him, slack-jawed.

“Hell, as we have long theorised, lies beneath us, deep in the ground – and you have poked at the proverbial lion with a pathetic stick, you fool. The demons will most surely seek revenge, and they will seek it fast – how are we to trust a mere _child_ that these demons have no other means of escape, especially taking into account you’ve ensured they’ve now become desperate?” 

The villagers started to let out panicked murmurs, their eyes wide with abject fear; however, all noise ceased as the governor waved his authoritative hand once more, a strange, oddly reassuring smile playing across his lips.

Any smile on that man’s face never meant anything good.

“Good people, please! Do not fret. There is quite a simple solution, after all – we will follow the honours of old, traditions used to appease those powers greater than us mere mortals.”

The almost soft smile grew wider, his hand landing atop Frisk’s head, much to their surprise; they visibly stiffen, eyes growing blank as their expression twitches into something almost…inhuman.

“…..we will offer the beasts a monthly sacrifice, from this point onward. Their thirst for souls shall be appeased, and the world above shall remain safe. It will be a holy _honour_, a sacrifice for the safety of the good lord’s earth and all who reside upon it. A terrible thing, but a necessity – the world around us will thank us, for taking this task upon us. But first….”

The hand seemed to tighten upon the child’s head, knotting through their hair and making Frisk wince; the villagers around you, however, seemed to be…..appeased. You, of course, were most certainly not – how could they be content with something so abhorrent? Demons or no, throwing human sacrifices down a hole in the ground with only the word of a damaged child to go on-

“….of course, we _must_ ensure that we remain free of corruption; our souls must remain pure. Clearly this is a demon wearing an innocent’s skin, a _mockery_ of the lord’s work-”

“No! _No!_”

The child began to struggle, attempting to free themselves from the man’s grasp, nails clawing at the hand gripping into the roots of their hair; he merely held on all the tighter, his lip curling up into a sneer as the crowd began to cheer, the fear in their eyes quickly replaced with excited bloodlust, eagerly awaiting a display – eagerly awaiting a relief from the horrific fear the child had sprung on them.

You, however, stand silent. After all, what could you do? Did you even want to save them….really?

But at the same time….you couldn’t say that you wanted them to die.

“_Let me go! Wait, let me-”_

“_Demon._ We shall paint the streets red with your blood-”

“_Stop! You idiot, you don’t know_-”

“-we shall absolve ourselves from your sin-”

“-_I saved you! I am your __**god**__!_”

The governor almost hissed at their words, quickly drawing a dagger from his pocket – and within a blink, he’d slit their throat with a cold efficiency that made it clear that his hand was more than practised in the act; it was then, and only then, that he finally let go of the hair tangled in his fingers, hurriedly wiping his hand, as if to rid it of the very corruption he’d been speaking of.

Frisk’s eyes were left wide, seemingly  in  surprise, a gurgling whine escaping their lips as their hands automatically travelled up to their streaming throat,  fingers desperately attempting to stem the essential flow . For a moment, you fe el a  glimmer of something akin to sympathy for them,  despite their clearly malicious nature ; but that quickly vanished when their cheeks were almost split with the force of their smile,  wet,  sputtering laughter falling out from their lips, a torrent of blood following with it – and for the barest of seconds, you could have sworn that those  dimming  blood-red eyes met yours in the crowd.

“….you f-fools. You’re…..you’re s-supposed to _worship_ me.”

~

You heave  out  a  heavy  sigh, looking out through the window out into the world beyond, a world that had changed drastically since that time. 

The body of the ‘demon’ had been ripped to pieces quickly after those words, a spectacle that you didn’t stick around for – you’d been pretty quick to run away, in fact, more than a little sickened, and worrying over the fate of your sister. You knew that the sickly of the villagers would surely be the first to be targeted for things such as sacrifice, so getting your sister back on her feet had suddenly become an even greater priority than before.

Thankfully,  she was in perfect health long before the first was chosen.  Surprisingly, it had begun quite some time after the death of the red child, a good  5 years or so – but at last, the first was chosen, sent screaming down into the maw located deep in the heart of the cave in the mountainside.  The ‘ceremony’ itself had tried to mask the sadistic horror of it for the ones who wished to remain blind; the poor girl had been dressed in a tunic dyed with the purple flowers your village were famous for, torches had been lit, a procession up to the hole had taken place….

….but that didn’t make it any less of a horrific tradition to you and your sister.

And the tradition had most certainly stuck, all through the many years that you had survived…

….too many years.

“Sis?”

You take a moment to fix your usually blank expression, then turn with the memory of a soft smile; your sister was one of the only things that could bring a smile to your lips.

Of course, this wasn’t your original sister.

No, she died at least a few hundred years ago.

“Are you ok? You’ve….you’ve got that look in your eyes again.”

She meant that  _lack_ of look.  You’d really been hoping those hours practi sing  would have amounted to something, but apparently not. 

It was something you’d lost when you’d first began to realise that you weren’t ageing all those years ago – even as your original younger sister was turning grey, her own daughter shooting up into her teenage years; initially, the two of you had laughed about it, with her expressing jovial jealousy over your youthful gleam.

That soon stopped when you hit 50, not looking so much as a day over 25.

~

“Witch!”

“Monster! She’s one of the demons, I tell you!”

“You can see the evil in her eyes! You can see it!”

You’d soon found yourself dragged kicking and screaming up in the centre of town, much like that red child, the villagers pelting you with insults as your sister, her husband, and your beautiful niece sobbed from the side-lines, spared due to their obvious ageing – no, that ‘curse’, was exclusive to you, and you alone.

You try your best to give them a reassuring smile, even as you fought against the ropes chafing the delicate skin of your wrists, and the urge to allow your own tears to well up in your eyes – but regardless, the same fear that the villagers possessed had been growing within even your soul.

_What was wrong with you?_

All that echoed through your mind were the words your mother had spoken on her death bed, the screaming of your new-born sister merely a back-drop as she’d smiled manically at you, even as her eyes slowly lost their essential gleam.

“**I wish….I wish I’d never given birth to filth like you. I curse you – suffer. Just….suffer, y/n.”**

It seemed as if she was finally getting her wish; the quiet, peaceful life that you’d led with your sister seemed to be a lifetime ago in this moment – it had evolved as her own family had, but that hadn’t bothered you.

You’d been….happy.

So happy.

It had always been the two of you, ever since your father had been shoved out of the scene – to see your family expand once more had made your heart grow warm, everyday filled with smiles and laughter-

-you’re brought out of your wishful thoughts as a hard slap snaps your head to the side, the crowd jeering in response to your pain.

You slowly look up – the governor now had gleams of silver running through his black hair, wrinkles framing his face in a manner that made it clear he frowned far more than he smiled; and the disgust that was in his eyes when he murdered that child 30 or so years ago was aimed at you, now.

“Reveal your secrets. What _are_ you? Why do you walk among us? What is your goal?”

“…sir, I was born in this village. I know nothing-”

“_Changeling!_ She’s not human, governor, don’t believe her lies!”

He grips your chin, fingernails digging into your flesh as he drags your face up further, to the point your neck twitches with pain.

“The truth will set you free, woman. If you are nothing suspicious….we must prove it, no?”

You couldn’t help the involuntary swallow at those words – his eyes seem to follow the movement, smirk widening.

“….I’m not lying. I honestly don’t-”

His hand draws back, and in the next moment, you find yourself choking, liquid spilling from your lips, the front of your dress sticking to your skin – it’s only when you hear the horrified screams from your family that you realise what had happened.

The governor had slit your throat.

Ah.

You can’t stop your body attempting to gasp and jerk as your blood spills, but you close your eyes; a last, desperate attempt not to give the crowd the satisfaction of seeing your fear and pain – however, bleeding out wasn’t what you expected it to be. Of course, the initial cut across your throat stung and ached, but overall….

...you felt _tired_. So, so tired….your stomach felt twisted as your body fought off nausea, you head spinning and aching, your heart beating desperately, almost as if it were attempting to escape the confides of your chest….

….it was….so confusing.

Your body and mind were…

....muddled.

It’s only when you hear gasping that you open your eyes.

And slowly realise that….

….you could breathe.

There was no blood….

….no dizziness, no nausea….

….nothing.

For the first time in your life, you saw true fear pass over the governor's face, quickly followed by confusion, a confusion that almost mirrored your own…..then grim determination.

“Stand it up.”

You’re tugged roughly to your feet; and with a quick jerk of his head, you realise with panic what his next tactic would be – this time, you _do_ fight, kicking your feet as you’re dragged over to the ropes. Even as the rough hood and noose are placed over your head, you continue to scream and squirm, your family crying out with you; the crowd stay strangely quiet, obviously still in a state of shock over the fact you didn’t….

….you didn’t….

“Pull!”

The ground falls out beneath you as the rope tightens around your throat – white light flashes behind your sockets as you attempt to scream, feeling a sickening snap at the base of your skull. Surely that….that was your neck breaking?

Yet still, your feet kicked, even as you gasp for the breath that your body simply couldn't find, heart racing in your chest despite the clear lack of oxygen.

It was a good 10 minutes until the governor called for them to bring you back up.

Initially, when the hood is removed, the crowd release out cries of horror as your head lolls, neck very clearly snapped, as you had guessed – and the cries only increase when your neck audibly snaps back into place, allowing you to raise your head once more, eyes wide with the pure shock of it.

You cry with them, confusion, fear…..everything rising within you, leaving you in a state of pure shock.

For the first time in your life, you look to the governor with help in your eyes, hoping that someone of authority would have the answers, that someone would be able to help you-

You release a strangled scream as he plunges his knife into your stomach, sawing and dragging against the flesh of your abdomen – until you were thoroughly disembowelled.

You fall to your knees, looking down with horror as your glistening, bloody insides spill out with an ugly slap into the open air, the pain and shock doubling your body over.

“_..w-why….?”_

You manage to drag your eyes up to him, even as he wipes the blood onto his already soiled handkerchief, his hands shaking as he avoids your gaze. Trying your best to ignore the pain, and the wretched, broken sobbing you knew came from your sister, you close your eyes once more…..a soft smile appears on your face as the pain slowly faded, and you knew that at _last_, the end was near…..your pain was coming to an end, and even if it meant you were leaving your family-

“I….how can this be? _How? __What are you?_”

Your eyes snap over at the incredulous tone of the governor's voice – you look down involuntarily, to see the intestines still spilled before you, but….

….they were now entirely separate from your body, glistening sickeningly on the wooden planks beneath you. The ragged, crude cut the governor had carved into your body had sealed, leaving no trace of any injury.

“No...no! This is not possible! I...I _must_ be able to-”

….it took hours until he was satisfied. The stage was dyed red with your blood, your eyes blank, by the time that he came to his revelation. His answer.

You can’t even bring yourself to flinch as he clasps a hold of your shoulders, joyous smile painted on his face for the mystified crowd in front of you.

“This woman is clearly…._clearly_ a blessing from the good lord himself! A sign that our noble sacrifices to the demons below were indeed just! He has sent us an immortal angel – rejoice, for we have been blessed, and honoured as we deserve!”

The crowd cheer, and it’s then, and only then, that you can raise your blank eyes to look at your family once more – and while they look relieved, it pains you to see the confused fear in their eyes.

No, you certainly didn’t feel blessed. Angelic? Nothing of the sort.

This was hell. Surely it was.

The ‘happy’ days continued after that, but it was all a farce – your sister’s husband and the rest of the village seemed to look upon you in a manner that left you feeling such a painful sense of loneliness….the only ‘blessing’ in your life were your sister and niece, who looked and treated you as they had before. Well, aside from being far more protective of you, which you certainly couldn’t blame them for after everything.

But that quiet section of peace in your life soon ended as well when your original sister passed away.

That was when you’d began to try everything in your power to kill yourself; while you were close to your niece, she also had her own family by that point, her own son to look after – her own life. You kept telling yourself that it was for her own good, that she wouldn’t need to worry over her ‘deity’ relative – but really, you knew that it was selfish of you, deep down, and your sister would have _never_ have forgiven you for it.

Even that realisation couldn’t seem to stop yourself from attempting, time and time again.

But nothing worked.

You tried everything you could think of.

Burning.

Poison.

Drowning.

Even beheading – which was the day that you found that you could easily regenerate limbs, as well as organs.

And in a way, it was a ‘blessing’ that you made that little discovery.

You’d eventually resigned yourself to watching over your family – generation after generation originating from your sister. Eventually, the lines  between reality and fantasy seemed to  blur –  every daughter or son born becoming a new sibling for you to take care of, to love;  for you were a guardian that could never be destroyed. 

Your family took comfort in that, oddly accepting of your need to be named as ‘sister’ – and even though the time and pain had long since crumbled most of your original self away, it gave you some semblance of happiness. It gave you a meaning, a purpose.

Year after year  passed by, the village  becoming a town that  corrupt ed itself in new ways, a corruption that seemed to spread out into the world beyond – but despite the new ages, the sacrifices continued, the  local  people sworn to secrecy out of fear and obligation.

Power is a scary thing.

And power was exactly why the numerous wars began.

At last, there was a war that lasted far too long, even by your standards; a war that only ended when the world was sent into a permanent winter, bitter ashes falling constantly from the sky, the ground decaying anything anyone attempted to grow in it, livestock and humans dying upon inhaling the toxic air. 

In short, times were desperate; people that survived had enough sense to protect themselves and their homes against the destructive world around them, but were starving to the point they were dying in the street anyway.

The only reason  you offered them a solution  to this problem was  when your brother at the time had been selected as the next sacrifice, something the  locals  had avoided  since discovering your ‘holy gift’  \- their theory, despite how little sense it made, was that  _surely_ someone of holy blood would save them, grant them another miracle-

Your solution was to offer up your very flesh and blood, in quite a different manner.

Cannibalism was abhorrent, even in those times of war – but the governors pulling the strings at the time had been very quick to agree with you, claiming that since your body was ‘saintly’, and very clearly not human, it wouldn’t be considered an inhuman act.

The villagers were absolved of any sin, any guilt – all was well.

You were once again hailed as a blessing, even as your screams filled the  town,  your limb s  quite literally  ripped from you, time and time again.

Eventually, your screaming stopped.

The pain, of course, did not, but you found you couldn’t feel it any more – or rather, chose not to . As a matter of fact, you couldn’t feel much of  _anything_ any more. The  emotional  numbness that had started to infect you with the death of your original sister had  flooded every sense you had left , your remaining family the only thing keeping you aloft in the sea of madness the world had been consumed by.

~

You feel a sudden slap to your cheek, bringing you back to the here and now;  your sister stood before you with a determined edge to her eye, her expression already switching to her scolding mode . 

“Y/n! Come on, keep with me. You know it’s dangerous to lose yourself like that! We need to keep talking, right? Right?”

You frowned; she knew you hated being called anything other than sister.

It made you feel colder.

“...I’m sorry, Ruby. Didn’t mean to freak you out.”

She heave d out a relieved breath, smiling her usual sweet smile at you. It was a trait that you’d noticed had been passed down through the lines – the same gentle, innocent smile, which reminded you that there used to be a season other than winter once upon a time – a time where the world around you had been green, the sky blue…..instead of the blank grey everything had become . 

She couldn’t be more different  than your original sister  in every other way, however. Her hair was an almost startling  fiery red , her eyes an endless green – your first sister had been a dark brunette, and blue eyed.

It was funny what got lost in translation as far as genetics w ere concerned.

“It’s ok, I just don’t like losing you like that. Have….have the Cole’s come around for their….?”

You couldn’t help but smirk  bitterly as she shuffled uncomfortably; she’d never been comfortable with you ‘donating’ yourself the way that you had to – it wasn’t as if you cared  anymore . As long as she was safe and as happy as you could make her, that was all that mattered. 

After her parents had died after a particularly cold and toxic spell, you’d taken her in without a moment of hesitation, as her parents knew that you would – it was odd, to suddenly be back with a family of two, once more. That hadn’t happened since the very start, after all; you’d been very careful with your family, ensuring they’d been as safe as possible.

….but you couldn’t control the world around you, even if none of it effected you personally.

She pouted at your obvious  attempt at  amusement, but before she could start to complain you decided to take mercy.

“Don’t worry. They’ll be coming along to collect in about an hour. I made all of the preparations earlier this morning while you were asleep.”

It was when she preferred it, after all – the sight of you impassively sawing off your own arms and legs had made her sick on more than one occasion, and anything other than her happiness was something you vehemently avoided. Besides, it’s not as if the actual regrowth took all that long – two hours at most, depending on how much you took off; so it wasn’t as if you sacrificed much sleep.

Did you even need sleep? You supposed that you must, considering you were able to.

“_Oh_….oh, ok then. Well….would you like to go out to the river today, maybe? I heard some of the local boys talking the other day, and one of them was saying that they might have seen a fish! An _actual_ fish, like the ones in the books!”

You can’t help but let out a rare genuine snort at that; the ignorant locals wouldn’t know a fish if it bit them in the ass – it was more likely to be an odd ripple on the surface, of course. Ruby frowned at you, shoving at your arm slightly, as if that would punish you for your pessimism.

“You never know! I mean, could you imagine what it might _mean_?”

“Ruby, c’mon sweetie, you know that’s not going to happen. It’s too cold, and the air still isn’t….great.”

And it wasn’t – sure, the poisonous burn wasn’t quite as powerful as it had been previously when you’d checked 10 years ago, but it would still prevent natural life; you were fairly certain of that. She sighed sadly, her bright eyes down-cast; you immediately back-pedal, not wanting to depress her, even if it was the plain and simple truth.

“Hey, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t go down to the river anyway! You can bring your sketchbook. It’ll be nice.”

She seemed to brighten up at that, her sweet smile returning as she started to chatter away excitedly, digging out her battered sketchbook and rudimentary pencils in preparation. You really wished that you could have provided her with the technology of the past, where she would have had access to endless sheets of paper and every colour on the spectrum, or even a computer to draw digitally with – but those days were long gone. It had taken you quite a bit of trawling to find the drawing materials that she had, but you were more than willing to put up with poisonous air burning away your lungs if it was for her happiness.

But it wasn’t just about her happiness in this case, oddly; she had such an incredible talent for drawing – you could almost feel truly _happy_ watching her work for hours, though you did have some distaste with her obsession of drawing you, especially with her photorealistic talents.

There was a reason you didn’t look in mirrors any more.

Regardless, you looked forward to your trip down to the river with her, where you would no doubt be required to stand in various poses until she was content; her bright smile was more than worth the trouble – while she continued to buz excitedly around you, you gather up her protective gear, everything that would save and protect her.

Now all you had to do was wait for the Cole family to come pick up your former right leg.

~

“A little more to the left…..no, uh, just _lean_ on your left leg, sis…..ok, tilt your head just a touch more….yes, that’s great...”

You chuckle under your breath (ignoring the cough your lungs were trying to force out), your face twisting into a fond smile, even though she’d commanded for you to keep as impassive as possible; it was just something you couldn’t help with her around.

“Sis! C’mon, be serious!”

“I’m being very serious.”

“You’re smiling!”

“I can’t help it. You’re being cute.”

She grumbled, covering her furiously blushing face with her sketchbook,  the cardboard surface hitting the glass of her breathing mask with a dull clunk ; you couldn’t help but chuckle  all the  more –  it was as close as you’d managed to get to a genuine laugh for years.  Out of all the war time generations, she always had this light about her, somehow – something that almost had you feeling  _human_ again. 

She lowered the book  from her face with an enraged huff , obviously about to cuss you out ;  b efore she’s cut off by shouts in the distance, in the direction of town. She takes one look at you before gathering up her things and taking off,  heavy boots hitting the ash covered ground,  leaving you to follow hurriedly after her.

“Hey, no, Ruby, _don’t_-”

“I want to know what’s going on!”

“I’m sure you do, but it’s probably not safe-”

She glared in your direction as she continued to stomp off; you knew that she hated your protective nature but….. _that was what you did. _

And considering the times you’d heard commotions coming from the town….well, your protective instincts were at an all time high, that was for certain.

As you approached the town, it became all the more apparent that the up r oa r was at the epicentre , as it always seemed to be whenever something unsavoury was afoot ; when you finally arrived, the crowd was almost a mob. 

Things had changed a little since the time of Frisk’s death, of course – but not in the sense that there was still what you would call a ‘stage’ in the very centre  of town , where the sacrifice had become, as promised, a ‘holy honour’ - especially  during  the war. An odd thing really; in the depths of their d espair , they had  all seemed to have  taken comfort in the d espair of others. 

And it seemed as if the locals were running true to form – the governing body were stood up on their stage, their faces as grave as ever; you found yourself missing the days where the village was run by one corrupt person, instead of several.

“Everyone! I know, it’s very sudden, and we’re sorry for calling you all here on such short notice-”

There’s further uproar at that – it seemed that the issue wasn’t so much with being called, but the lack of warning; you had to agree on some level, as you didn’t know anything about this ‘meeting’, and as far as gossip went, nothing escaped you.

After all, you knew everyone on quite a….personal level.

Being caught unawares makes you instantly uneasy – reaching out, you grasp your sister’s waist, tugging her protectively to your side, eyes locked on the suited bodies up on the stage.

“Please! Please. Head Governor Michael will speak to you now, and explain everything. Please, try to remain patient.”

Silence begrudgingly falls over the crowd as  the man in question steps forward; and he reminded you hauntingly of that first  governor all those years ago, his gaze just as icy and unforgiving.  And given his generally similar features of dark hair and blue eyes, you had a sneaking suspicion that he was from the same lineage. 

“….hello there, everyone. Sorry to disrupt everything on this….well, another ‘lovely’ day. I’m here to discuss with you this month’s holy ceremony.”

_You should be using the word ‘inform’ - there was never any room for discussion._

“We are considering….increasing the number of tributes – I was thinking that might perhaps offer our town more _holy miracles_ in this trying time. Something which I’m sure you can all agree would be a wonderful thing.”

You feel a few eyes drift over to you, and you grit your teeth. It didn’t seem to matter how much flesh you gave to these people; they were never satisfied. They always wanted more.

And you certainly hoped that the ‘miracle’ that you suffered under would _never_ befall anyone else, no matter how much these bastards prayed for it.

“And so, we plan-”

“But that’s not fair!”

All attentions are dragged back over to your corner, but not for your presence this time; no, now they were staring at your sister, your Ruby, standing courageous and proud like the stars from so long ago that you feared you would never see again.

Desperate to protect her from those gazes, you attempt to pull her back – of course, you couldn’t cover her mouth, her mask prevented that, but you hoped she would get the message.

“_Ruby…..shh...”_

If she got the message, she ignored it.

“It’s not fair! Isn’t it enough that one person gets thrown down a hole every month?! Isn’t it enough that y/n here….”

She falters a little, looking over to you, before snapping back.

“When will the death stop, huh? Isn’t it obvious by now that it’s not going to change anything? The only thing that’s going to improve this world is us! We need to work as a team for once – we need to work towards a better world, together!”

Everyone stands quiet for a moment, gazing upon Ruby as if she’d just grown two heads and started spouting pig Latin – that is, before Michael started to laugh, his peers tittering along with him.

“Oh my, y/n, I do wonder how you cope with such a high-spirited family member. Now, as I was saying-”

Ruby practically snarled, fighting under your grasp, fists balled at her sides as you tried to once again shush her.

“What, so you’re all just going to ignore me? Or do you just enjoy killing people that much? You _like _seeing your friends and families falling to their deaths pointlessly, do you? Is that what you really want out of life?”

The silence this time rings on for far longer than you would have liked, the governing body glaring down at Ruby as one, in a way that made your skin crawl, the crowd around you looking at one another as if the idea had never really occurred to them before.

You grab a hold of her hand as tight as you dared, your other arm around her waist, even as she stood as proud as ever, glaring at them all unflinchingly.

“Ruby….I think we need to go….please, love.”

She looks at you in abject surprise, but clearly saw something in your eyes that called a little sense to her; she nods, quickly shaking you off and stalking off in the direction of home, leaving you to follow after her.

Leaving the silence of the crowd in your wake.

~

The evening had passed by quietly, with your usual dinner (though it had taken your family a long time to fully accept the meals on their plates would be provided by you personally, it was now….just another part of life) – Ruby had even shown you what she’d managed to sketch out, after she’d calmed down about the whole situation.

And you had to agree with her, despite the dangers speaking out presented.

True, the ‘demons’ had never attempted to climb to the surface in all the time the sacrifices had been going on; but you honestly weren’t sure that they even existed. After all, it was pretty clear that Frisk had been insane at best, and a complete megalomaniac – so it wasn’t an illogical conclusion to think of them as a liar as well.

But you knew in your heart that the ‘village’ would never change.

The sheep would remain as sheep, even with the unease your courageous sister had managed to stir within their hearts – the people pulling the strings wouldn’t allow their control to slip, that was for certain.

No, they’d more than likely given some kind of grand speech after the two of you had made your ‘graceful’ exit; perhaps they’d even come up with some sort of false proof to convince the unsure masses.

Hell, that was how the war started in the first place.

Soon, it was time for sleep; for your sister to sleep, at least. Smoothing your hand over her hair, you once again offered her your practised smile; she frowned, reaching up to touch your face.

“….sis. You….you really think I was right? With what I said?”

You take a moment, before letting out a sigh, nodding.

“I do. But I also think that you shouldn’t have said it.”

“But _why?_ Nobody else is saying it! Surely-”

“Ruby. How old do you think I am?”

That made her stop, eyes growing wider with that all too familiar unease that you’d unfortunately had to grow used to.

“….you were there when the sacrifices started.”

“I was. And believe me when I say that….the majority of people don’t change. I’m not saying that there aren’t good people, of course. But there’s always so much...”

Your brow puckers as you try to find the words.

“...humanity is a really strange thing. There’s never a balance, not really. The good fight with everything they have, but the bad oh so often get their own way….”

“So what you’re saying is there was no point in me saying anything because it wasn’t going to change anything?”

“No, not exactly. Good people have changed things in the past, most definitely – you’ve read history books, you know that. No, I’m actually worried about you staying safe. I don’t trust those people.”

“Michael especially.”

You smirk grimly.

“Michael especially. I just….I just want you to be careful. If it were more than just us two, I’d be all for finally beating down that corruption, but in all these years….this village has remained closed off, under control. Pretty amazing, when you think about it.”

“How so?”

You sigh, tucking the numerous covers around her body – she needed to stay warm, after all.

“Before all of this, we lived in an age where it was very hard to hide anything – people spoke to eachother all over the world, spread news. But now….well, that time has passed.”

“….are we really going to let them kill more than one person? Is there….really nothing we can do?”

She looks almost tearful; the dead heart in your chest seems to break a touch more as your brow crumples, your hand returning to smoothing her hair, attempting to sooth her.

“I tell you what. I’ll try to talk to them tomorrow, ok? Give them some bullshit about the gods being pissed about it, or something.”

She sniggers at that, expression brightening – before becoming stern.

“Sis, you better get to bed early tonight! You need to sleep too, you know?”

“I know, I know. Need to be on my game if I’m going to convince them of receiving a sign now, don’t I?”

She laughs once again at this, nodding as she turns over, snuggling into the covers to get comfortable.

“….love you, sis.”

“I love you too, Ruby. Sleep well – I’ll see you in the morning. Maybe we can go out again tomorrow, hmm?”

You receive a sleepy, happy hum in reply to your words; your lips quirk as you stand, swaying slightly as you do so.

To tell the truth….you were tired. Very tired. Whether you actually needed sleep or not, you certainly preferred getting it.

The day had obviously dragged more energy out of you than you expected – but sadly, at the present moment, you couldn’t afford to be tired.

Dragging your aching body over to the work room, you carefully shut the door behind you; you knew by now to never leave it open, for fear of Ruby accidentally catching sight of your nightly tasks.

And tonight was going to be a heavy order – two large families to provide for, which meant two large limbs to cut off and regrow. Not that the regrowing part hurt, of course; as a matter of fact, it was an oddly soothing experience – wiping away the pain and discomfort. But-

….no. No, you couldn’t feel the pain of losing limbs. You couldn’t. _You couldn’t._

Heaving yourself up onto the large table you had chosen just for this task, you strap your upper thighs down with dull eyes; no matter what you told your mind, your body always seemed to fight and twitch – it was annoying, and made the process all the more arduous.

Taking up your usual saw, you begin your work, mindlessly dragging your arm backwards….

….and forwards….

…all while your body jerked and spasmed under the pain that your mind had long by now shoved back and ignored.

You’re not sure how long it takes – you were never sure. It took as long as it had to, you supposed – bones were always such a bitch to saw through.

But before long, you were unstrapping the stumps that your legs had become, duly watching your flesh already working on stitching itself back together before your very eyes. Letting out a heavy sigh, you allow your body to flop back against the hard wooden surface, tired eyes already starting to flutter shut, now that your task was complete.

Perhaps you would take Ruby’s advice for once – perhaps you would lie in, sleep off the exhaustion plaguing you, even if it meant a little less time in the outside world for her tomorrow; you’re sure she wouldn’t mind, considering it was her own advice you were taking.

As your vision clouds to fuzzy black, a soft song from softer times appears faintly on your lips, lulling your body further into relaxation – well, as relaxed as someone like you could be, anyway.

However, things never seemed to work out the way you hoped for.

How were you to know that you’d need your legs in 30 minutes?


	2. Tua mens cadat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we really do need our legs...

What was someone like you supposed to do if you just didn’t want to keep going anymore?

Were you supposed to just….give up?

Just

Stop?

Was _that_ the answer to this immortality? But if it was….how did you really, truly, just give up? It certainly wasn’t a matter of simply wishing for it to end, not even a matter of attempting to force it to end by your own hands. How were you supposed to stop this madness?

Obviously, whatever the solution was, you hadn’t managed to achieve it just yet.

It was something you’d asked yourself many times over the years. And it wasn’t _exactly_ that you were suicidal any more – that was a time long past. You had things to live for, after all….well, one thing, one person, at the moment.

No, it was simply that you’d….

...become so _tired_.

The years had simply bled together, hardening your mind as you watched your ‘siblings’ dying over and over, growing old and withering away before your eyes – and you knew, _you knew_ that it would never end.

Your body did not age. Your body could not die. _Would not_ die.

What would you….what would you do if your family vanished entirely? Ruby was young, after all, and this world wasn’t exactly the most ideal place for a normal human being...

….what was her age, again?

You were sure she was a teenager, at least. But regardless, she had no thoughts of making a family of her own as of yet – hell, you wouldn’t let her, as young as she was. The world might might have gone to hell, but that didn’t mean you wanted her to have that sort of responsibility yet. She still had so much to do….didn’t she?

In this day and age….keeping her alive would be difficult, of course it would, but you would give it your all. Everything you had.

But what hope did _you_ have, really, outside of family matters? You had no interest outside of your family – another thing that had long since died. Of course, you missed the colours the old world held, the scents, the sounds….but as for other people?

Nothing.

After all, if you had to watch your family rot, what was the point of adding a lover into that mix? It wasn’t as if they would mean anything, not truly; not if you paid any attention to the old legends of ‘soulmates’.

Which surprisingly, you did. Even if you didn’t want to.

The main, most respected legend was one of the few things that stuck in your mind with such a beautiful, bittersweet clarity – when your father had been present, he’d often told it to you, his eyes wistful, smile gentle. He’d always held it dear, always believed in it – despite the fact that your mother had driven him away with her malicious nature. Oh, how he’d wanted to take you with him, but after she’d spread lies and had him run out of the village….

“_It is said that every soul has a partner – a match, the perfect compliment. They will share unspoken words and touches, emotions; everything the other has to give. They will be source of safety, harmony….**joy.** Endless, endless joy. And the best thing is that you know them by sight alone, y/n – that’s my favourite part, my love. A wondrous mirage of a butterfly is said to emerge from your inner being to join with theirs, dancing in joy as they finally meet at long last; it is an ancient magic, something spoken of in whispers…..I’m sure that one day yours will take wing, and meet with the one flying towards you. You must have a beautiful soul, after all, my darling.”_

But of course, none of it truly mattered in the end, and you weren’t quite sure why you tortured yourself with such thoughts of peaceful grandeur – why the words of your father still echoed in your mind, taunting you with a happiness you would never possess.

**It wasn’t as if you had a soul. **

That was something the locals seemed to miss when they named you as a ‘holy blessing’ - how could a being such as you, who didn’t die, who had felt so much physical pain it had no meaning any more, who didn’t feel _anything_-

No. Having a soul was simply a pipe-dream. Human you might be – after all, you couldn’t be anything else – but something like a soul….no. Perhaps that was the true secret to you being unable to die. Your soul had long since fled, leaving you alone in this world.

You groan to yourself quietly, as your memories and inner thoughts shake you fully back into consciousness – well, at least you assumed it to be that, at first.

That’s until you hear the subtle creak of footsteps echoing through your house, close to your ‘work room’.

“….Ruby?”

The footsteps cease.

Easing what was left of your body up, you look down at your lower half – just below the knee, now; certainly not enough to walk on. And certainly not how you wanted your sister to find you – perhaps she’d had a bad dream, much like you had? Maybe she just needed a little reassurance – not that you could exactly open the door and hug her right now, but you could at least assure her that you were alive and well in here. Sighing softly to yourself, you press a hand to one of your tired eyes, rubbing absently as you raise your voice a little.

“….Ruby. Love, please, you know you shouldn’t be up…..please, just sleep. You need your sleep. I promise I’m resting, and I’m ok, all right? I just-”

The door to your work room suddenly bursts open, revealing your sister, her gaze panicked as she slams the door shut behind her, shoving a table in front of it, her breathing heavy. You jolt up to a far more upright position, opening your mouth in rare surprise – you go to cover your….remains, only for it to become painfully clear that was the least of her concerns at the moment.

“…_.sis…...shhh. There’s….there’s people. In the house.”_

That had your attention immediately – you jerk to attention, looking down with a new kind of desperation at your legs, before pointing out your ‘emergency’ cupboard.

“…_.Ruby, I want you to listen to me. There are crutches in that cupboard, I need you to get them for me, ok, sweetie? Just…just keep calm, ok? It’s going to be ok.”_

She nods desperately, wiping fearful tears from her eyes as she creeps over to it – but the sounds of creaking footsteps are still echoing throughout the household, becoming all the more urgent now that your sister had made her ‘quiet’ entrance, sending shivers up and down your spine.

Who the hell _dared_ to enter your home? You fed them all, didn’t you? They depended on you for their survival – who the hell would be as stupid as to….

….Ruby’s speech.

Surely…._surely _they weren’t….

You both jump as there’s a knock at the door, Ruby awkwardly dropping the wooden crutches she’d found with a loud thump and an alarmed squeak – immediately giving up on that idea, you instead usher her to your side; hell, you’d use yourself as a human shield if need be.

Silence seems to echo all around you for a few moments, before an all too familiar voice speaks from behind the hurriedly barricaded door.

“….this is governor Michael. Y/n, I would _really_ appreciate a word. We’re just here to….to talk, I promise you that. Just a friendly chat.”

Your lip curls – promises from this man meant very little, even without his current breaking and entering.

“You can speak from behind that door, governor. What the hell are you doing in my house at this hour? Surely we could have had a ‘word’ in the morning. _Fuck off_ – leave my property. After all, I’ll be feeding two rather large families tomorrow, won’t I?”

There’s a short pause, before you hear him let out a low chuckle.

“….break it down. Now.”

There’s no time to scream to Ruby to hide before the door is smashed through – the wood was old, after all, and stood no chance against a battering ram, table against it or no. Soon, you’re met with the grinning face of Michael himself, surrounded by an entourage of various people you recognised – other men and women who held power in the village, as well as some of the less savoury villagers.

You gulp, even as Ruby clutches desperately at your side, her eyes wide.

She was scared.

And you could do nothing about it.

You jolt as one of them suddenly cocks a gun at you, a needle sinking into the flesh of your chest before you have the impulse to yank it out – but it was too late, the damage was done. Your vision was fading, your limbs becoming weak and limp; some human shield you were.

“...now then. How about that little talk of ours, hmm? Would you like that….Ruby?”

~

You awake in a daze, the bitter taste of opiates on the back of your tongue – ah. They must have overdosed you quite a bit to ensure unconsciousness for at least a while…

Your head jerks up, adrenaline suddenly flaring as you return to yourself more or less fully, only one thing on your mind – or rather, one person.

“Ruby?! Ruby!”

“Ah. Well, would you look at that – she’s finally awake.”

“Holy fuck, that was enough to kill a person 10 times over….god, it’s really true, then. I’d been thinkin’ she’d been breedin’ people in a basement or some shit...”

Your eyes slowly start to fully focus on your surroundings, your mind plainly ignoring the voices of the men for the moment – you were tied down…

...to a chair?

No, a wheelchair.

Ropes (oh, how wonderfully traditional) around your arms and upper body–

-and a dank, dark space, small….

…a holding cell.

_A holding cell._

Oh god, where they held the sacrifices before the ceremony.

Your eyes are cold and determined when you turn back to the men – you couldn’t remember their names, and you barely recognised the faces due to the blur of the drugs still hanging in your system (though said side-effects were fading by the second), but that was enough; after all, they meant nothing to you.

Less than nothing, now that they’d had something to do with your separation from Ruby.

“….where is she? Tell me where she is.”

The taller of the two chuckles, leaning down and tapping at one of your legs with the tip of his finger – almost at ankle level, now.

“There there, _deity_. We ain’t done nothin’ bad to her – Michael’s just havin’….a lil’ chat, is all. Nothin’ bad, promise. She just needs to be reminded on how the world works, eh?”

You stare at him, long and hard – enough for him to bulk and blink, which was enough for you.

He didn’t like your expressions, or your gaze – either way, that could be used later.

“….what’s your name?”

“M-my….name?”

“Yes. What you’re called – you know, a name. What is it?”

He frowns, obviously disliking the sarcasm in your tone as he stands back up to full height.

“What, you don’t know me? I’m Peter-”

“Oh, yes, of course. Peter Clark. Your father was a lying piece of shit as well, if I remember. Tell me, Peter – do you like eating? Eating my flesh? Having a full belly of human meat at the end of a hard day?”

He visibly pales, taking a step back, looking to his comrade for help – the other raises his hand, and this time, you recognise him easily.

“Ah. Governor Adam. I assume you enjoy eating as well?”

Adam frowns, evidently disliking the implication of your words.

“Now, y/n-”

“Well, since I assume that you both do enjoy _not_ starving to death, I suggest you take me to my sister.”

They both stare at you.

“Now.”

Adam takes a moment to process your oddly neutral tone, before laughing, and laughing loud – something which eventually resulted in him glaring down at you with clear distaste, an emotion that was often masked by desperation around you.

Not masked well enough, but you usually appreciated the effort.

“And what’s to stop us from simply tying you down? Taking what we wish, when we wish, since you’re an endless source of food?”

You let out a humourless chuckle, testing the bonds surrounding you surreptitiously – yes, if this was going to go the way you saw it going, they would work nicely.

“Oh, well, that’s easy – see, I’ve discovered I have a _limit_. After a certain amount of damage, my body probably wouldn’t recover….hell, I’d more than likely just die. Why do you think I was resting in that room alone after cutting off both of my legs? I was _recovering._ Not everyday that you lose two major limbs, after all. I’m oh so close to my limit, especially now that you made the wonderful choice of overdosing me.”

That makes them both freeze – of course, there was no such thing, but they weren’t to know that. Sure, some had suggested testing such things in the past, but….that was the past.

Small blessings.

“Ah, you _didn’t_ know that? Well, that’s a pity. Great shame. Now.”

Your gaze darkens, as you strain against the ropes tying your arms – both of them flinch as they hear your shoulders dislocate.

“Hey, wait-”

Peter has to fight not to vomit when your right arm lets out an audible snap as it breaks in two places, allowing you to wriggle the twisted limb free of its bonds.

“Alright! _Alright!_”

You immediately stop forcing your mangled body to wiggle, looking up at them calmly, flexing your fingers as your bones fuse back together, shoulders slowly shifting with a sickening crunch back to where they were meant to be. Adam was raising his hands in a peaceful motion, obviously thinking you were attempting to push that ‘limit’ and destroy their only food source.

_Blind idiot. _

“...alright. We’ll….we’ll take you there. Just….just stay calm, ok?”

“I’m perfectly calm. I’d appreciate being untied, though – can’t say it’s comfortable. Might just have to break my other arm to make myself feel a bit more at home, who knows.”

There’s another pause, before Adam jerks his head, Peter quickly obeying the silent order – still, he has the audacity to whisper in your ear as he does so.

“Don’t you _dare_ try anythin’ else-”

“Or what, Peter? You’ll hurt me?”

You turn to look at him, allowing the curtain of false emotion to fall from your face; this was why you avoided mirrors, after all.

Without that curtain, you hardly looked human any more.

“_Haven’t you heard, Peter? I don’t feel pain. I don’t feel anything.”_

He jerks back, ropes in hand as he begins to shake, seemingly frozen in place by your stare – before you blink, allowing the muted ‘emotion’ to flow back.

“...or so they say. Still, as I have a limit, I wouldn’t advise it, like I said. Now, take me to Ruby.”

Both men remain silent as they wheel you out, obviously shocked by this turn of events – you had to wonder what they honestly thought would happen.

Did they think you would just lay down and obey, like the trained dog they assumed you to be?

The only reason you fed them all was for the good of your family, after all. Ruby enjoyed talking with the younger people, and she enjoyed drawing candid shots of all the others from the windows of the house.

“….so why are we being held here, exactly?”

Peter isn’t the one to answer you, obviously too shaken by his previous encounter – and Adam’s voice doesn’t exactly hold much confidence when he finally speaks.

“It’s….private. The idea was that there wouldn’t be any disturbances.”

“I see. Well, it’s not as if the other locals have ever heard the sacrifice’s screams as they’re held here, have they? Might feel differently about the whole thing otherwise, right?”

The rest of the walk is silent, aside from the sounds of squeaking wheels and sullen footsteps.

Eventually, your little entourage arrive at a pair of double doors, where an unsettling….gasping could be heard.

You knew that voice. That breathing, as strained as it was.

“...R-Ruby?”

“Now, calm down, y/n-”

Ignoring Adam’s weak attempts at controlling the situation, you simply throw the full force of your body into the doors, effectively throwing them open; though given the fact that your feet hadn’t formed properly yet, balance was a no-go. Not that you cared about falling – you don’t so much as flinch as your body lands with a crash onto the cold concrete flooring; the only reason you have to grit your teeth was the scene before you.

“_Ruby!”_

The thin muslin cloth that had been covering her face is quickly lifted off by the startled woman holding it there, the water that had previously consuming your sister’s ability to breathe ceasing in its fall.

Ruby gasps, tears running down her cheeks as she coughs and heaves, saliva running down her chin – but the tears are merely a reflex. No, her gaze is as hard and bitter as yours, almost hateful, as she glares at the man responsible.

Michael stands at her tied-down feet, his eyes impassive as he watches your attempts to stand from your place on the ground. Without so much as a blink, he turns to the men who had been previously ‘keeping watch’ over you, ignoring your writhing body for the moment – you take that small advantage, squirming your way over to your sister’s side.

“I thought I told you not to release her until we were done here?”

“Sir, I’m sorry, we tried, but she was….was….”

From the look on Adam’s face, it’s only now that he’s starting to doubt your little ‘weakness’. But it was too late for that now – you reach up, grasping one of your sister’s ice-cold, tied-down hands.

“Ruby….Ruby, it’s ok. I’m here….I’m here now, ok?”

Her eyes flicker over to you, finally breaking that resolute focus she’d had on Michael; the tears that sprout in her eyes are now far more genuine, the fear she’d been masking finally coming through.

“S-Sis?”

“Yeah, it’s me…..this is enough for you, right?”

Silence hangs in the room.

“This is all you need from my sister, right? You got what you wanted already. She’s _scared._ She’s not a fucking threat! You get that, don’t you?”

Even you falter a little as Michael kneels fearlessly beside you, all but slapping your hands away from your sister’s. His tone is as bitter as his gaze – but the slight smile on his lips suggested that he was practically relishing in this, enjoying every damn moment.

“….and what if I said that it’s not enough, y/n?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, your _sister_ here-”

Your frown tightens at his emphasis.

“-as you said, is scared. She won’t be a problem for us, of course – she’s a good girl, aren’t you now, Ruby?”

The poor girl can’t help but let out a mournful whine as he pats the hand you’d been holding previously.

“Exactly. No, what I’m worried about….is you, y/n.”

“….excuse me?”

He stands abruptly, heading over to one of the quietly standing attendants.

“As I said, I’m worried about you. Terribly concerned, in fact. We’ve….gone outside the box a little tonight, haven’t we? It’s an unspoken rule that we are not to threaten your precious family, and that’s exactly what we did.”

He turns back, hand clenched around something – but you’re honestly too focused on how _abrupt_ this all was.

“...do you have any idea how much this little commune of ours hates you, y/n? Oh yes, ever since the very start...”

His clenched fist seemed to shake with rage as he speaks; but that sick smirk of enjoyment was still present on his lips. Why was he….enjoying this so much?

“That very first ruler, the one who discovered your little _gift._ Do you think he was pleased, really? Something unknown and frankly terrifying, living among his peaceful flock? A being that cannot be killed, no matter the method? No, despite your _generosity_, despite all of that….do you really think any of them accepted you? Wanted you? I mean, look around you, y/n.”

He casts his free hand around the circle of people surrounding you as he approaches your sister’s side once more, his grin widening.

“Even now, the only reason you managed to get into this room was via fear. A deity you might be, but….you certainly don’t act like one. You don’t bless our ceremonies, you don’t instil hope into the crowds….all you encourage is uncertainty, negativity. And you can surely understand why I can’t have that.”

You swallow, your throat dry, looking up as his figure looms over you – but his dialogue had been of some use, at least; your toes were starting to form. A little more time, you just needed a little longer…

“So you want me to…help you with ceremonies? You want me to-”

“No. No, what I need, y/n, is control. And you...”

He leans down further, smile vanishing.

“It’s clear I can’t control you. Not without some persuasion, at least.”

“...what more do you want? I give you all my body, I keep out of your way as you-”

“No. I don’t think you understand.”

His clenched fist strikes out, landing on Ruby’s thigh – you don’t see the syringe until it’s too late, until the plunger has been pushed down; Ruby begins to shake on her table, letting out a shuddering gasp as she strains against her bonds.

“_Stop! Stop it, leave her alone!”_

“Your little family is your only weakness. So, here’s my theory-”

Michael yanks the syringe back out, gesturing with his spare hand for the others around him to back off, completely undisturbed by your shout and desperate scrabbles to grab a hold of him.

“-if I control your family, I control you. Right now, little Ruby here has been given dose of a little something called, ‘mescaline’. Now, little known fact here, but-”

You practically growl under your breath.

“How the fuck did you get your hands on _mescaline?_ Give her the cure! Charcoal – _something!_ She’s already under body stress, you didn’t-”

“Ah, well, that’s what you get from an immortal who’s lived through….how many wars now, y/n? Still, let me explain for the class – mescaline is a drug a liiitle like LSD. Though it’s a bit more unique than that. Altered thinking process, altered sense of time and self-awareness….as well as your classic psychedelic effects. But pretty good for what we’re trying to achieve here, ladies and gentlemen. Now-”

“You didn’t. Answer me.”

The crowd visibly takes another step back as you finally stagger up to a stand – sure, your toes could use a little longer, but that was the farthest thought from your mind.

_Ruby._

You press a hand to her clammy forehead, something inside your chest shaking as she simply stares forwards, her pupils wide and fixed on something you couldn’t see, and frankly wouldn’t want to. The only other one who seemed to be unaffected by your new position was Michael – as a matter of fact, he once again seemed quite pleased.

“Now, would you look at that – our little miracle is back in action. Right in time, too – oh, I wouldn’t do that, y/n.”

“Shut up.”

“But I didn’t say where I’d managed to get it! I just pulled a few strings, nothing big – same as I did with the fentanyl they pumped you full off. Didn’t quite have the intended effect, but-”

You’d already started on unstrapping your sister, not bothering to listen to the rest of his blabbering, fully intending to just carry her back home – the drug would eventually work itself out of her system, you knew that much; it wouldn’t be pleasant for her, but it would be better than staying here.

“Ah, but you haven’t heard the best part, y/n. Or rather, our audience here hasn’t, since you seem well versed already. Mescaline was used in mind control experiments, and was given a fair shot at being a truth serum, too – both attempts failed, sadly, but they weren’t without their lessons. So now we come to the crux of our own little lesson...”

As you finally manage to sit Ruby up, her head lolling, Michael reaches out with something akin to warped kindness, pressing-

“Is….did you just give her a _knife?_”

He stands back up to his full height, looking pretty proud of himself.

“I did indeed. Now, Ruby, you remember what we spoke about earlier? About family?”

Her head slowly raises, eyes unfocused as she blinks, expression crumpling.

“Yes, yes, you remember. You see, y/n, she wasn’t exactly aware of_ how_ the two of you were related – or, rather, unrelated. Well, related by the tiniest, most miniscule amount of blood, but-”

“Does this have a point?”

You reach out for the knife in Ruby’s hands, frown deepening when you find that her hands are clasped around it tightly – too tightly to remove without using any proper force.

“Ha! Yes, yes it does. See, Ruby was just as worried about you, when we knocked you out and carried the two of you out of your abode – but she seemed quite interested when I started to talk about lineage. How many generations now, how many...”

He idly ticks numbers off his fingers, walking over to the safety of small onlooking crowd. You plainly ignore him, unfastening the last of Ruby’s leg bindings, trying your best not to grind your teeth.

“You’ve probably lost count as well, right, y/n?”

“There’s no point in counting.”

“Oh?”

With the last of the straps dealt with, you finally straighten, holding Ruby’s shaking body close to yours as you stare over at him – the crowd visibly shudder under your glare, but he merely frowns.

“Family is family. It’s not just about blood, Michael – it’s about how you treat each other. How you care.”

Michael immediately starts laughing, almost to the point of ludicracy.

“You can care? _You? _You’re telling me you honestly care about this girl – this one, right here? The one you call sister – the one you make call you sister in return? Y/n, I hate to break it to you, but making sure someone’s living as decently as one can in this day and age isn’t exactly love.”

“Of course I love her. She’s-”

“An ancestor of your late, late, late….sister. Why are you bothering? Oh, wait, no, don’t tell me – I already know this one.”

He smirks.

“Ruby is all you have. Like I said, your one weakness. Which brings me back to what Ruby and I were talking about….that’s the real reason you keep her so close, isn’t it, y/n? Why you’re grabbing her, even now?”

You scoff, squirming your newly-grown toes to ensure you had proper balance, before bending to pick Ruby up.

“Bullshit. She’s smarter than that – I’m bringing her home, and you can fucking forget me providing for you. I’ll look after those who appreciate it, who actually value being alive.”

The crowd murmur as your arm hooks under Ruby’s knees, obviously worrying over your words; they could hear how serious you were, how much you fully intended to carry out your promise.

But what none of you expected was Ruby making a soft noise of complaint, pushing your body away as much as her strength would allow.

“Ruby?”

“N-no….”

You hesitate, looking down at her with concern – obviously the drug was hitting faster and harder than you had anticipated.

“Ruby, it’s ok, it’s me – it’s….it’s y/n. I’m just going to pick you up, and bring you home. You’re safe-”

“N-no!”

You blink.

“No?”

She just about manages to look up at you, tears running down her cheeks; but, strangely, she’s smiling, shaking her head in answer to your half question. But before she can speak, Michael chuckles from across the room.

“See, y/n? I told you – she’s a good girl, she listens. See, I offered her a little deal….since the two of you are only distant family….one, tiny, teensy-weensy stab into her ‘sister’s’ chest _surely_ wouldn’t be that bad. After all, you heal! Of course, the place has to be rather particular, straight to the heart, but I _did_ coach her – don’t worry about that.”

“…you really are a sick fuck, aren’t you, governor?”

You can practically hear the smirk falling off his face at that.

“….but won’t hurt you, y/n. It won’t be anything big-”

“I’m not worried about it hurting me – I’m worried about it hurting _her_, and I’m not stupid. I know that your real aim here. Your little ‘game’. Ruby….come on, love. Drop the knife. Let’s go.”

Her hands waver for a moment, her mouth opening – before Michael rudely cuts her off again.

“Ruby will do it, regardless of what you think, y/n. Because she knows that if she doesn’t….you’ll be the next sacrifice for this village.”

You immediately scoff at that, rolling your eyes.

“Yes, brilliant idea Sherlock – throw your only food source down to the demons. Perfect. Genius.”

“Oh, we didn’t mean all of you, y/n. Of course we wouldn’t do that – no, we were thinking of being kind. We’d share your body equally, to both humans and demons…..sadly, it would mean you wouldn’t be able to get around….well, at all, actually, but it’s quite an idea….isn’t it?”

You raise your eyes to glare at him once more, your tone clipped and patronising – after all, a child like this didn’t deserve your time.

“….this is what you’ve told her? You’ve resorted to scare tactics? Really been digging into those old torture techniques, haven’t you?”

He immediately frowns once more; ignoring him, you press your hands to Ruby’s frigid, sweat covered cheeks.

“….Ruby. Listen to me. You don’t have to do anything.”

“….it….it won’t….hurt you.”

You pause under her glazed stare, a long sigh escaping you – the room around you is strangely silent, clearly waiting for your answer.

“….it won’t hurt me.”

“….why….why are you….lying, sis?”

She smiles again, warm tears rolling down her damp cheeks and onto your hands. You take another breath, closing your eyes, before summoning a weak smile of your own for her.

“I’ll be ok.”

“D-don’t...”

“….ok. Alright. It’ll hurt for a minute, but then it’ll….heal. Just like it always does.”

One of her shaking hands raise, gently settling over your heartbeat. She heaves in a breath, dazed eyes staring resolutely at the spot under her fingertips.

“...r-right….here...”

“Yes, that’s my heart.”

“...it’s….._beating_...”

You find it within yourself to actually chuckle, stroking her cheeks comfortingly – showing her that everything was ok. You didn’t blame her for this….not at all, not even a little bit.

You only hoped that she wouldn’t remember, after everything was said and done.

“Hearts tend to do that, love.”

“….y-you’re…..alive….”

“….I am. Ruby, listen, I love you, you don’t have to-”

“I-I love you too, y/n.”

Your eyes widen reflexively as she raises the blade.

**And stabs it straight into her chest, exactly where she’d been told to aim for. **

“….Ruby?….”

She lets out an odd gasp, her eyes wide as she looks up at you, expression startled – which is when Michael releases a soft, disappointed sigh.

“Fuck. Well, that wasn’t what I hoped for. How annoying.”

His words only half register with you as you stare down at your sister’s shocked expression; an expression that was dwindling into soft confusion, as she looked down at the knife buried in her chest.

She….hadn’t meant to do it.

Her hands reach up to touch the handle, only for you to stop her.

“No! No, don’t….don’t pull it out. We can….if we leave it in, we could fix this….”

You look around desperately to the others watching silently in the room.

“_Please! Please, help her, get a surgeon, a doctor, quickly-”_

Michael lets out an audible grumble, glaring in Ruby’s direction, clear annoyance on his features.

“Michael! _Please!_ Look, I’ll do what you want, ok? I’ll even do this whole sacrifice idea of yours, _please, just get her-”_

He simply releases another annoyed noise, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“….no. Where’s the fun in that?”

“Y-y/n-!”

You immediately give Ruby your full attention as she desperately cries, confusion dissolving into fear – even with the mescaline in her system, her body recognised the position it was currently in.

“It….it’s….it feels….weird….pressure….”

“Shh, baby, I know, just….you’ll be ok. I’ll make sure you’re ok, just hold on-”

A loud clapping resounds across the room, making both you and your sister jump reflexively – Michael, meanwhile, just impassively gestures for Adam to come over.

“Oi, Adam. Fix this for me.”

“….sir? Fix-”

“Yes. Fix it.”

You look up with a jolt of hope, despite the clear confusion on Adam’s face.

“...Michael, I’m not a surgeon. I don’t-”

“Idiot. I didn’t tell you to fix her, did I? Just. Fix. It.”

Understanding crosses Adam’s face then, his eyes widening as he backs off a step, shaking his head; Michael practically snarls at that, gnashing his teeth as he began to make his way over to you.

“…._fine_. You know what...fine.”

You hold Ruby closer, your body shaking harder than hers somehow, your vision narrowing down as you realised what he planned to do.

“_No. No! Don’t you fucking dare-”_

You don’t even get a chance to react when he aims his elbow at your head, hitting you square in the left temple – and during the few seconds that your vision flashes white, he reaches down to the hilt of the knife-

“_No!”_

-twists it sharply to the right-

“_NO!”_

-and yanks it out of Ruby’s heart, his eyes cold as the grave he’d sentenced your sister to.

Her body reflexively jerks at the foreign feeling, her lips parted as she looks down at the wound in her chest, the blood blossoming out and into her clothing-

“_Ruby!”_

Your scream echoes around the room, your body jolting at the sudden rush of emotion; more emotion than you’d felt for years.

How ironic – why now, when it didn’t matter anymore?

Hard, gasping sobs manage to force themselves past your normally guarded lips, your hands scrabbling and desperate as you hold her body to yours, pressing onto the wound in her chest; as if that would somehow help. But you weren’t a fool – you’d seen death far too many times.

You recognised that dulled sheen in her eyes.

The hoarse breaths forcing her chest up….and down….and up….

Her heart…..slowing…..

….gone.

Just….gone.

“_No….no, nononononono, please, please, please don’t go, don’t-!”_

_ **Please don’t leave me alone.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ruby :( *proceeds to hug OC to self*
> 
> Got fanart, or just want to chat? Here's my tumblr!  
https://crusnikroxas.tumblr.com/  
And here's the Twitter!  
https://twitter.com/CrusnikRoxas  
Discord is here, too - so just message me if you want a link to the server! ^-^  
AND. And. Thought I'd mention that I do video game streams every Saturday at 9:30pm (French time)! >:D Feel free to drop in on the madness if you wish!  
https://www.twitch.tv/crusnikroxas


	3. Lapsus tutus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we do what we should have done a long time ago....

For the longest moment, it seemed as if the room around you had frozen, the only thing ruling you being the pure pain – you howl, clutching Ruby’s lifeless body to yours, legs threatening to buckle under the weight of what had just happened. 

She was gone.

  
Just like that.  
You’d never see her smile again.  
Never see her drawing again.  
Never speak with her again.  
Never hear that beautiful laugh of hers again.  
Never hear her various complaints about how things were run in the world around her.  
Never hear her hopes for the future.

Never again.

Lost.

Forever.

“Ruby....please....please, n-no...”  
She was still in your arms – completely, and utterly. It was painfully obvious, even if you didn’t look; she wasn’t with you anymore. Her body might be, but her glorious soul...  
You’d lost her.

_Your fault._

_....your fault?_

_...no._

_...not yours._

Your cries die in your throat, leaving the room still once more – and it’s almost as if you can feel your heart calcify as you raise your head from her copper hair to stare.  
Their fault.  
**His fault.**  
For the first time this evening, Michael seems to finally have the sense to fear you as the others did – his mouth hangs open, your reactions apparently beyond his comprehension. But then, for a psychopath like him, you supposed that was a given.  
“....now, uh, y/n...I...”  
Wordlessly, you lift her body into your arms, your legs working to automatically follow a command, one you hadn’t issused – but you were beyond caring at this point. Nothing mattered here anymore; there was nothing you cared for.  
...no. There _was_ something you cared for.  
“Y/n! Where are you-”  
You exit the room silently, ignoring his cries, ignoring the pain in your foot as you kicked the door open, ignoring the weak attempts to get in your way – anyone who dared received another kick.  
Pathetic. All of them.  
Disgusting.

_ **Disgusting.** _

_“Y/n! Come back!”_  
Your feet knew where to go; you might have only walked this path once or twice, but it was enough for them – they quickened as you went, and before you knew it, you were running full pelt for your destination, all the while holding your cargo close to your chest.  
Hurry. Hurry.  
You begin to laugh as you go without quite knowing why, your mind and body numb; it didn’t matter, none of it. And yet it did, somehow more than ever – it didn’t make sense. None of it made sense. Maybe that was what was so laughable. The complete and utter lack of sense.

iTDOesN’TMakeSENse

You ignore the bile threatening to rise in your throat, ignore the tears practically blinding you; all the while, tightly clutching that small body of your last....

_...she can’t be gone. She can’t be._

can’tbecan’tcan’tbecan’tcan’tcan’tcan’tcan’t

Your feet continue to thump against the hard ground beneath you, the sounds of heavy footsteps thundering behind you as the others give chase; desperate voices, begging, pleading at you to stop, to think, to-  
Thinking didn’t matter anymore, what were they even saying?  
It didn’t matter.  
It mattered.  
But it didn’t.  
Soon, too soon, you reach the room you’d been aiming for – kicking the door open with your blistering foot, you finally slow to a walk, eyes cold as you turn towards the desperate crowd following after you; they slow as you do, panting while you stand still.  
Michael pushes them to the side, teeth bared – though that anger soon dissipates when he sees where you were standing. Or rather, how close you were standing to the edge of it.  
For but a few short footsteps behind you was the gaping maw that served as the entrance to where the demons ruled.  
“N-now....y/n....”  
You take a small step back, eyes boring into his.  
“Y/n! Stop. We....look, I get you’re upset, but there’s no....wait, are you....are you possibly?”  
He pauses, a flash of something akin to hope in his desperate eyes – meanwhile, you commit that particular expression to memory, taking another small step backwards.  
“Are you possibly....giving her body to the demons? In place of a sacrifice? Well, that’s....that’s very noble of you. I’m sure they won’t know the difference – a body is a body! That’s....that’s excellent, I’m sure the others will be so happy that-”  
“Oh no. That would be boring.”  
His expression freezes as your cold voice parrots his earlier answer, your feet shuffling back another step.  
“No. For one, you’re forgetting – they eat souls, right? The body might be useful, sure, but I’m sure the soul is the most important part here. And thanks to you, Ruby doesn’t have hers anymore.”  
Another small step.  
“But you’re right, Michael, I _should_ be noble here, shouldn’t I?”  
“Y-Y/n-”  
“But I won’t be.”  
With one final step, your heels are hanging off the edge – a strange, hot draft runs up the back of your legs, almost as if the hole was alive and breathing. Perhaps that child had been telling the truth all those years ago; that this pit really was a link to hell itself.  
You could only hope that they had been.  
“Y-you won’t?”  
“No. I’m not noble. Not even a little. And I’m glad for that, now.”  
He shakes his head, at a loss of what he could do here – hell, he’d let you get this close to the edge, after all.  
Ha. Hell. Funny.  
“Y/n, now, listen to me-”  
“I’m done listening. I’m done with saving you all. I’m done with it. Now....now, I’m going to do what I should have done a long time ago.”  
You can feel your cheeks stretching unpleasantly with the force of your smile, hear your laughter escaping your lips, but you can’t do anything to stop it.  
“I’m going to kill you all.”

With a gentle push of your feet, you fall.

~

The descent itself was oddly soothing – after hearing the initial screaming of the watching crowd as you fell, the smile stretching your features felt a lot more comfortable; the only thing you found disconcerting was how clammy the air was becoming, the further down you went. Not hot, exactly – just sticky and warm. Uncomfortable.  
Holding Ruby’s body close to yours, you quietly watch the tiny light that was the world above dwindle, twisting every-so-often to ensure your back was facing whatever you were falling into. Not that you were scared to look, not even a little – but you didn’t want to damage....

....

...what were you thinking of, again?

Ah. Were there really demons? Wasn’t hell supposed to be burning hot? Not this....odd warmth. It reminded you of how someone felt during a sickness; the air around you felt unhealthy, unwell.  
With the state of the earth above, you wouldn’t be surprised if the ground beneath was just as sickly, but....  
...no. You had to put some hope in that child’s words. There were all you had left.  
After all, what would be better to destroy those who had destroyed all you held dear – the very demons that they had protected themselves against for hundreds of years. To rip them apart, body and soul.  
Yes, they would be your strength; your body might be immortal, but you weren’t able to take down a group of humans by yourself, let alone a whole town. But as for the demons themselves? You had no fear – you couldn’t die, and you didn’t have any kind of soul. None that would benefit them, anyway, you were sure of that.  
You suddenly blink – was it just you, or had your fall suddenly....slowed? Unnaturally so, almost as if you were caught in some kind of net, albeit a thin one, as you kept dropping every few feet; you gather Ruby closer, not wishing to lose her in a moment of weakness.  
It just was just frankly...odd, as sensations went. Like how it felt when you fell in a dream – unreal, yet somehow jolting. Despite your lack of fear, a cold sweat began to run down your neck, as if you somehow sensed that this momentary lack of downward dejectory would soon be at an end.  
And as it turns out, your gut was completely right in this sense – your eyes widen as the drop re-appears with a vengeance, seemingly harder and more forceful than before. Your mind fancied for a few seconds that it was the weight of your sins dragging you down, down, down, straight to where someone like you truly belonged.  
At first, when your mouth opens, you assume you’re about to scream; but what rises up your throat is an almost manic laughter, tears clouding your vision as they fly up into the air above. Because, as far as you were concerned, your fanciful mind was right – this whole thing would never have happened if you weren’t still alive in this cursed body. If you hadn’t been around, that group of people would never been alive in the first place – and Ruby would have been spared the horror that had been her life....and her death.  
God, what had you done for her, really? Sure, you’d given her a sketchbook, food on the table, a roof over her head, but...  
...she must have been scared of you, it would have been unnatural not to be.  
“....Ruby....I’m so sorry...”

The dimmed world around you turns a sudden endless black as your back hits the ground at last, a sickening crunch ripping through the air as your spinal colemn seperates from your skull.

~

“...sis?”  
“Mm?”  
You’re sat at the table, digging through your dinner, trying your best not to think of the content, something you’re sure that Ruby is also doing – you always made sure to save the best cuts for her, to ensure that her body was well looked after; a good balance of fat and protein, along with the supplements she hated to take.  
But still, at the end of the day, you were eating your own flesh. No matter how nice the meat quality was, there was no taking away from that fact.  
“...what was she like?”  
You stop mid-chew, turning your head to look at her.  
“Who?”  
She places her fork down, her plate empty as she bites her lip – humming in the back of your throat, you reach across the table, scraping the remains of your meal onto it. She offers you a quick grin in thanks – you weren’t afraid of starving, after all.  
“Your....the first sister. Did she look like me? Act like me?”  
“...hm.”  
For a moment, you don’t answer, choosing to instead get up and stoke the fire behind her – this night was a particularly cold one, and you wanted her to go to bed warm.  
“She was....no, she didn’t look like you.”  
Ruby seems to droop a little in unexpected disappointment as you sit back down, the copper of her hair gleaming in the light cast from the fire-place.  
“But she did like to draw. She wasn’t as good as you were, though.”  
She smirks at that, finishing off the final scraps of her meal at last – you chuckle reflexively, reaching across to ruffle her hair, which she makes a noise of complaint at.  
“Have all of us....been good at that? Drawing, I mean.”  
You shift in your seat; you could, of course, understand her curiosity, but...  
....well, it wasn’t a subject that you liked.  
“No. You’ve all had your own talents.”  
“Like what?”  
“....Tristian was a fantastic doctor – famous for it, in fact. He used to travel a lot thanks to it, though.”  
“And you went with him?”  
“Of course. I wasn’t about to let him go alone.”  
“...what else?”  
“...let me think....Marie did ballet, though she never made a show of it – too shy to dance in front of other people, though she was very good.”  
You frowned.  
“Ruined her feet, though. Then there was Justin – he was an engineer. But....no, everyone had their talents.”  
Ruby pouts, kicking her feet under the table; a clear sign that she was dissatisfied by something – you frown, leaning forward in your seat.  
“What is it?”  
“Well....I mean, being able to draw just doesn’t....seem that big of a thing compared to all of that, you know? Hell, I’d pick something practical, if I could.”  
You quickly shake your head at that.  
“No. You’re perfect just the way you are, love. Besides, I’ve learnt that....well, things like drawing, singing, dancing....there’s nothing quite like it to bring a smile to a room, and that’s something more than practical. Human happiness is pretty hard to achieve, you know?”  
Her smile reappears at your words, bright as the sunshine you vaguely remembered – before it slowly falls off her face, her expression instead becoming indescribably sad. She reaches across the table, clasping hard onto your hands.  
“Y/n....I’m so sorry.”  
You laugh jokingly (well, you hope you do), holding her oddly cold hands between your own – you grumble at that, making a mental note to move her closer to the fire as soon as her unexplained sadness was dealt with.  
“Aw, c’mon, I have talents of my own, you know – who do you think built this house, hmm?”  
“No, no, I mean....I’m just....so sorry. I’m sorry you had to see that, I’m sorry you had to....make that choice.”  
“Ruby...?”  
She coughs, blood on her lips, as she smiles at you suddenly, the tears in her eyes brimming over onto her cheeks.

“...I don’t blame you, y/n. Not even a little. Ok?”

~

You jolt back into consciousness, clutching the cold body of your sister closer reflexively as your body finishes healing up, the ground surprisingly cushioned beneath you – you look down duly, eyes widening as you note you’d landed in...  
...a flower bed.  
God, real flowers. So yellow that they almost glowed – they were beautiful, and certainly something you didn’t expect upon arriving in hell.  
You shake your head, looking down at Ruby; how funny, to have a dream like that. Almost as if your consciousness was punishing you with a moment of peace, only to rip it away at the last minute.  
She would have loved to see real, living flowers....would have loved to draw them.

There probably wouldn’t be anywhere better to bury her.

Sighing softly to yourself, you pass a hand through her hair – it almost seemed too harsh a colour against the new pallor of her skin, but you couldn’t bring yourself to dislike it.  
“....did I ever tell you how beautiful you are, love? I....I don’t know where you got this colour, but....I loved it. I love you, Ruby....love you so much.”  
You can feel the tears rising, like a pressure in your chest – biting down hard on your lip, you bury your nails into the palms of your hands; the physical pain quickly overrode the emotional, leaving you cold once more.  
You had to be. You couldn’t afford to be emotional, not when you were in this kind of position – you had to bury her, put her at what little peace you could; then you needed to continue onward.  
Onward with avenging her.  
Carefully placing her to the side, you simply look for a few moments – she looked so oddly peaceful, lying amongst the flowers. Like one of the princesses in the fairy tales.  
Shaking your head to keep focused, you get to work, ignoring your nails breaking as you dug into the ground, trying to keep damage to the flowers at a minimum as you went; she would be covered with them, something you were sure she’d like the idea of.  
She would, wouldn’t she?  
When you were satisfied with the depth, you placed her carefully within, placing her hands gently on her center – as a final after-thought, you pick one of the golden flowers, and just as carefully wrap her frigid fingers around them.  
“….sleep well. And….don’t listen to him. I loved you….I loved you for you, Ruby. I always will.”  
You close your eyes, unable to watch the earth covering her face, before quickly finishing the job, strategically arranging the living flowers over her grave – you were no artist, but you hoped that somewhere, somehow, she liked what you were doing.  
Upon finishing, you sit back, staring at the spot where she lay, forcing down the hopes in your heart that you’d soon wake up – she’d rap on the door to your workroom, complaining that the neighbors had woken her up, asking for their food….and you’d go about your day. You’d take her down to the river to draw, you’d….you’d do anything she wanted to do.  
At first, you write the subtle scuff of movement behind you as nothing more than your imagination – but when it sounds again, you turn swiftly, blinking when all you see is a flower. Surely…no, you’d heard something for _sure_. Perhaps it had been farther back than you’d thought?  
“Is somebody there?”  
When silence echoes around you, you almost turn back, not willing to leave her just yet – but a small, strangely mournful voice speaks up….directly behind you.  
“Was she someone important?”  
You flinch out of reflex, but don’t bother to turn back fully – sure, this voice _sounded_ human to you, but it had to be your first demon. You decide to appreciate the shred of kindness for the moment, turning back to Ruby’s resting place.  
“….yes. She was my sister.”  
“….oh. I’m….sorry.”  
“So am I.”  
Silence rules once more for a while.  
“...I lost a sibling, too. They’re…here, too.”  
“In the flowerbed?”  
“Yup.”  
“…I didn’t disturb where they are.”  
“No, I know. I was watching.”  
Your shoulders tense.  
“The whole time?”  
“Yup. Why did someone tell her you didn’t love her? Same guy that killed her?”  
Your shoulders tense even more – your hand raises to your face without your realising, laughter starting to escape you, softly at first, growing as it went on.  
“H-hey-”  
You finally turn your head, a grin plastered on your face as you finally see who you were talking to – or in this case, what. For hanging over your shoulder was what you’d wager was the same flower from before, only now a huge, singular eye was set in its center, staring intently at you.  
“Pretty, uh….smile you got there, friend. Might as well introduce myself, I guess.”  
A vine hangs out, seemingly in greeting.  
“I’m Flowey. Flowey the flower.”  
Blinking, your smile vanishes, laughter vanishing with it – you reach out and shake the offered vine, much to Flowey’s relief (or you assume from the sigh he’s relieved).  
“Right, fantastic, now that that’s done with…..I’m guessing you don’t want to be here. Which is great, ‘cause neither do I.”  
“Oh? And why’s that?”  
“….you’re kidding, right? You _barely_ survive the fall down here, and you ask that? Pfft.”  
Your head slowly turns to the side – after a brief staring match, he blinks.  
“I’m not kidding. I fell on purpose. And I’m glad I did.”  
You turn your body to face him fully, leaning down to examine him closer – something he doesn’t seem to appreciate, given the fact he leans away, eye widening.  
“You’re a demon, right? How do you kill humans? I don’t want you getting stepped on.”  
“….excuse me?”  
“A demon. They live down here, right?”  
The eye blinks at you for several seconds, still apparently misunderstanding you – before Flowey visibly shivers, backing away from you.  
“...monsters. We’re called monsters, not demons. And yeah, sure – we’re down here, alright. As for killing humans...”  
You assume that he’s attempting to look sinister, petals flaring as he looks up at you.  
_“...we do it all the time.”_  
“Sure, great, fantastic – but what I wanted to know was _how_. You’re a flower, after all. How do you, specifically, kill humans?”  
The eye blinks once again.  
“...well, I mean....I have vines? And...bullets?”  
You nod, feeling somewhat satisfied with that answer – combat at a distance would be the best idea for this particular demon, then.  
“Show me.”  
You hold out a hand, looking from him to it meaningfully. He only backs away further at that, petals starting to shiver once again.  
“What are you, some kind of freak?”

_“Freak!”_

_“Witch!”_

_“Deity.”_

“...something like that. It won’t hurt me, so just show me what you can do.”  
“...what do you mean, it won’t hurt you?! I’d be literally tearing your hand to pieces!”  
Tutting gently, you hold your hand out further.  
“Trust me. I don’t....get hurt by that sort of thing. Just do it. Show me that you’ll be able to do something against the humans on the surface.”  
Flowey hesitates for a moment longer, before a vine suddenly shoots out of the ground, effectively impaling the offered hand – it quickly withdraws, leaving a neat hole in the center of your hand. You watch impassively as it seals up, before almost coyly waving it at Flowey.  
“See? Didn’t hurt. Now, can you do that to multiple targets, or-”  
“_Wait wait wait_ – wait a second!”  
Your hand is quickly grabbed by vines as Flowey draws close once again, examining your hand with a steadily widening eye – frowning slightly, you watch on; you’d never expected the demons to be so....well, emotive. And considering this was a flower with a giant eye for a ‘face’ that was saying something.  
“Are you kidding me? How did you-”  
“Like I said, some sort of freak. Stay focused here.”  
He soon backs off once again, eye narrowing as he looks up at you.  
“...you said you fell on purpose. Why?”  
You feel your cheeks twitch as that manic smile makes a reappearance – it was such a strange feeling, almost as if your very mind was splitting in two.  
“Because the humans have chose to keep the demons-”  
“Monsters.”  
“....monsters down here all this time, and now...it’s time you all came out. And once you get up there...”  
You chuckle, your arms automatically wrapping themselves around your body.  
“...I need you to kill them all.”  
Flowey sits there in silence for quite some time, that singular eye boring holes into your expression; before he lets out a small, odd chuckle.  
“Well, you really are a different one, aren’t you, friend? Sure, why not, that’s a _wonderful_ idea. But I’m guessing it’s not just little ol’ me you’ll need for that, huh?”  
You shake your head silently, ignoring the sarcasm in his tone, looking around the two of you – besides the bed of flowers and mud, it was more or less completely dark. You’d probably need his guidance in order to go deeper in. Standing up, you pat your body down; no ceremonial purple tunic for you, just practical clothing and bare feet. He stares at you impassively, before letting out an annoyed sigh, gesturing with a leaf behind him.  
“So, all you have to do is go down that hallway, I guess.”  
“Not going with me?”  
“I’ll be there....”  
His eye narrows at the darkness that was the ‘hallway’.  
“...at a distance.”  
You shrug; slowly, you take one last look over your shoulder at the flower bed, before continuing down the ‘hallway’ he’d mentioned without another word – though really, it’s mostly you feeling your way along a cold, damp wall until you reach what feels to be a stone archway. Inching your way through, your eyes slowly adjust to the inky blackness....somewhat. You now appeared to be in a far larger room, from what you could tell; sighing, you begin to walk forward, knowing that you’ll hit a wall of some kind sooner or later – but what you don’t expect to see is some sort of torch bobbing towards you, lighting up the space around you with a vibrant purple.  
And you certainly didn’t expect what was holding the torch, either.  
“Oh my! Poor child, are you alright?”  
Your neck tilts back as the new (female, from what you could tell from the voice) demon approaches – her red eyes are bizarrely kind in comparison to her monstrous features; pointed teeth, fur (it looked like it was soft once, but was now rather matted), goat-like horns, giant stature….yes, this was more what you’d expected when you’d imagined ‘demons’. She bent slightly, her worn dusty dress crinkling with her movement as she stared at you; and you stared straight back.  
“Child….again, are you alright?”  
After a moment more of examining her, you let out a humorless snort, eyes drifting down to the ‘torch’ - what she actually held was a purple flame, right in her palm. It was definitely real fire, too; you could feel the heat emanating off it across the short distance between the two of you.  
“Define ‘alright’. But yeah, sure, I’m here. Is that real fire?”  
She blinks, then frowns, straightening.  
“….yes, it is indeed real – I would not touch it, child, it will hurt you….we certainly wouldn’t want that. But my, I’m being quite rude now, aren’t I? My name is Toriel, guardian of the Ruins.”  
“Not rude at all. I’m y/n, nice to meet you.”  
Her expression brightens instantly.  
“My, you’re quite polite, aren’t you? Lovely, I do love a polite child. Come now – the Ruins can be very dangerous to someone unfamiliar with them, and we wouldn’t want you getting hurt….after all, how would you be able to return home?”  
She turns to lead you, and you follow along numbly – the emphasis on your ‘getting hurt’ was both encouraging to your larger aim and chilling personally. There were already major alarm bells going off with this particular demon, but you knew that there would probably far worse to follow – but then, that was your aim here, wasn’t it? Still, another little emphasis of hers struck you as odd, but for different reasons.  
“...home?”  
Toriel looks down at you, humming under her breath with apparent concern.  
“Are you quite sure you’re….well, you appear to be alright physically, child, but….you seem to be quite sad.”  
You blink up at her – though if you were being honest, being called ‘child’ after so many years was a little disconcerting.  
“Ah – I’m terribly sorry. Call it a mother’s intuition, if you will.”  
Mother’s intuition….was that ever something your own mother had possessed? Perhaps some warped version of it, though the demon in front of you seems to hold the statement with a bit more reverence. Mind you, it didn’t take that much to surpass your mother’s ‘standards’.  
“….no, I’m sorry. I’ve…”  
You swallow down laughter – you wondered how many times you’d have to repeat this particular phrase.  
“....just lost my sister, so I can’t exactly say that I’m-”  
Your cheek twitches.  
“-myself.”  
“Oh my! Goodness, you poor thing…”  
Toriel suddenly stops, reaching down hesitantly – before softly patting your hair. Your brow crinkles, as you find yourself unsure as to whether you were comforted by it or disturbed by someone acting parental towards you after the amount of time you’d been without anything of the sort.  
“Well….y/n, was it? I am sure that wherever your sister is, she’s glad that you’re here, safe and sound.”  
You can’t answer that; you just stare up at her, until it appears she becomes uncomfortable with it – you look away, wondering if you’d been bothering to keep up with your ‘human’ appearance since the fall, aside from the occasional uncontrolled smile.  
Not that it really mattered anymore, considering who you walked amongst.  
“...where are we going, Toriel?”  
She starts up walking anew, leaving you to follow – the light cast from the fire in her palm barely lights up the surroundings around the two of you, but she obviously knew this place no matter the light level.  
“To my home! There, we shall get you some food – I’m sure that you’re hungry after everything you’ve been through.”  
Again, you can’t exactly answer that; food wasn’t exactly an appealing offer after eating your own flesh for as long as you had – ‘food’ was simply a means of survival for most humans now. You’re about to take another step, when her arm shoots out in front of you – it was like being hit with an iron bar, and you can’t help but cough as you stumble back.  
“Oh my, I’m so sorry, child! I wasn’t thinking – I just didn’t want you to….well...”  
You straighten, body already healing the bruises that were threatening to blossom across your ribs, to look to where she was gesturing – directly where you were about to walk, rusted metal spikes rose from the floor, reaching as far as the flame’s light would allow.  
“Here, take my hand, I will lead you through – it is quite a simple puzzle, though very old, as I’m sure you can tell.”  
You frown for the barest of moments before taking her hand; this was the most willing contact with someone other than Ruby you’d had for years, and you weren’t sure if you liked it. Toriel, however, seems to be quite pleased by your ‘willingness’ – she grips your hand a touch tighter, slowly walking through the maze; it clunks dangerously wherever she steps, as if threatening to break then and there. Not that you were all that concerned with being skewered – but it would be annoying and time-consuming to squirm your way free if it did happen, and you weren’t sure what demons were like in terms of healing. But your worries are soon put aside when the two of you reach solid ground once more – she releases your hand almost regretfully.  
“There we are! Safe and sound. Now, it’s a fairly linear route back, so please, just follow me...”  
You do so, the two of you walking in silence for a while, the only sound disrupting that silence being the crunch of the odd dead leaf underfoot. She eventually breaks it, releasing a soft cough under her breath, the flame in her hand sputtering as a result.  
“...are you alright, Toriel?”  
She nods after a moment, the flame re-igniting to full previous height.  
“Yes, yes, quite alright – I am just in need of a little rest, do not fret. Just an old woman’s usual complaints.”  
“Is the fire hard to keep up?”  
Toriel blinks with a slight frown, before smiling once more.  
“Ah – you see? What I said about a mother’s intuition was right! She was your younger sister, correct? You must have raised her to be as perceptive as you are….oh, I’m, ah, getting off topic now, aren’t I?”  
You stare silently, clearly awaiting an answer as your cheek twitches.  
“...magic can be draining after a time, yes.”  
“Magic? That fire is magic?”  
She chuckles.  
“Curious, aren’t you? We monsters are composed of magic – and we use that magic with daily activities.”  
“So if that’s the case...why is it hard to keep up?”  
She’s silent for a few minutes, her expression hard to read, before she finally answers.  
“….it isn’t a large problem, my child. I simply forgot to eat today, that’s all – you know how it is, when you forget….you can’t just pull energy out of thin air, after all.”  
“Is food a problem down here?”  
Toriel looks positively awkward – if she wasn’t covered in fur, you’d wager she’d be starting to sweat under your gaze.  
“Now, y/n, why would you ask such a strange question? Why would food be a problem?”  
“Because it’s a problem on the surface.”  
She becomes quiet at that, her pace speeding up, leaving you to jog in order to keep up.  
“….well, I did notice that….a few of the others who fell looked a little peaky, but you look quite healthy in comparison. It can’t be….bad? You eat enough….it can’t be….that bad...”  
“Oh no, it’s not good at all – there is a food source, just that some eat better than others. My sister was….someone who ate better, as was I. Toriel, would you mind…..slowing down, please?”  
“We’re not far now! Almost home.”  
Ignoring the urge to snap at her, you keep up with your jogging, looking around yourself as much as you could in the meantime – but other than leaves crunching underfoot and the odd patch of thick dust, there really wasn’t all that much to see; just crumbling stone pillars and walls.  
It wasn’t instilling much hope in you. You needed an army, and so far all you’d found was a sarcastic flower and an unbalanced motherly goat – unless Toriel was willing to set the village on fire, your plans of revenge weren’t looking too bright.  
You couldn’t have that.  
You couldn’t.

_Couldn’tcouldn’tcouldn’tcouldn’tcouldn’tcouldn’t_

“….child? Is something funny?”

Ah.

“...no.”  
You have to fight your face for a moment as Toriel slows her relentless pace, looking down at you with a mixture of confusion and concern.  
“...nothing. Are there others?”  
“Others?”  
“Other monsters.”  
She sighs gently, expression darkening for the barest of moments, before gentling once more – it seemed you weren’t the only one hiding something, then.  
“...there are, but not here. But they are very dangerous – do not be concerned, child, you will not see them.”  
“I’m not concerned.”  
She chuckles lightly, looking down at you with clear bemusement, clearly not believing you.  
“Now now, we all feel fear. It is nothing to be ashamed of.”  
You release a chuckle of your own, though it’s far less airy than Toriel’s.  
“…I don’t feel ashamed.”

_And I certainly don’t feel afraid._

“Oh? Well, that’s good to hear – and we’re finally home, so now….”  
The two of you turn a corner, and she extinguishes the flame with a gentle huff; it wasn’t needed anymore, given the cottage ahead of you seemed to be well lit.  
“...we can relax, and enjoy each other's company, no?”  
You don’t answer, examining the area in front you – yet more piles of dust surrounded a dead, haggard tree; the cosy looking cottage behind it didn’t fit in in the least. Toriel frowns a little at your lack of answer, but still places a paw gently on your back to guide you forwards.  
“Come now – I shall get you a nice slice of pie. Won’t that be lovely?”  
Allowing her to push you along, you sigh softly; Ruby never got to try anything like that. Would it have been something she’d enjoy? Sweet things? Probably – you’d more than likely have had to have hidden it away to ensure she wouldn’t rot her teeth-  
“Child? Is...do you not like pie?”  
You swallow dryly, slightly annoyed you’d been dragged away from your peaceful imaginings.  
“I’ve not had it in years.”  
“Years? Goodness! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, then – I’ve been told I make it very well. And do not fret, I will ensure it’s very special; I’ll have to make it so, considering it’s been so long since you’ve had it!”  
Her sudden exuberance strikes you as odd, but it doesn’t concern you. Ordinarily, your lack of fear might have been worrying, but after losing everything, what was the point? There was only one thing that was of any importance to you now – and after learning that there were other demons, and dangerous ones at that….  
….you have to fight off another smile.  
“Ah, I’m glad that it….pleases you, child. Please, do come in.”  
Obviously you didn’t fight it off well enough, but you do as she says, walking in the door – upon seeing the interior, you’re struck with sudden nostalgia. The humans on the surface used to live this comfortably, once upon a time. There was even a plush carpet underfoot – but what interested you the most were the stairs leading into the yet more darkness, right in front of you.  
“Where do those go?”  
“…..my, you really are a curious thing, aren’t you, y/n. Come, dinner awaits us!”  
Her tone is far less friendly than before – she clearly didn’t want you anywhere near those stairs, which only solidified your theory.  
The other demons must be somewhere down there.  
Still, for the moment, you walk to where she wanted you to – after all, you needed to know if she’d agree with your plan. If not, well, there was at least other options along with Flowey.  
“Please, do sit and make yourself comfortable!”  
…a fire was burning. That same copper as-  
“Child?…..Y/n? Did you hear me?”  
“….yes. Thank you.”  
She appears to be a little apprehensive about leaving you, but as you sit, she manages to tear herself away, heading into what you assumed was a kitchen, judging from the smells of cooking food.  
….already cooking. Did she do this everyday, hoping that another human would come?  
Considering she was the only one here, perhaps she was the one to consume the ones who were thrown down here – perhaps that was the real reason why she didn’t want you near the other demons. An unwillingness to share.  
Your eyes travel back to the flames dancing in the cosy fireplace – she would have liked this. Cushy carpets, soft chairs, books….she would have liked this. You could almost see her dancing about, kicking off her shoes to feel the softness underfoot, touching everything in sight in her excitement.  
She would have smiled. She would have laughed.  
….she would have liked this.  
“Here we are! A delicious slice of pie – I hope you don’t mind, but I felt more in the mood for soup.”  
Toriel sits across from you, placing the previously mentioned pie in front of you with a delicate flourish; she doesn’t, however, start her rather thin-looking soup before you take your first mouthful. And you had to admit, it was very nice indeed.  
“….it’s delicious. Thank you.”  
She brightens, fangs glinting as she smiles, tucking into her meal.  
“So polite, how wonderful. I am glad that you enjoy it, child.”  
It had been so long since you’d had something other than meat and supplements, you can’t help but dig in almost eagerly – the pastry is crumbly and buttery on your tongue, the sweet filling almost melting away on your tongue. Those flavors were….hmm.  
“...butterscotch and….cinnamon? Some sort of spice...”  
“Indeed! I am glad that your palate is so accurate after not trying something like this for so long – tell me, is there….anything else?”  
“...not that I can...”

...ah. You recognised that burn in your stomach, your body gently requesting you to void what you’d just eaten, that slight dizziness.

How strange to use poison in a first meal. Not enough to kill a normal human, but definitely enough to knock them for six – to make eating them easier, you supposed.

You can’t help it. You start to laugh.

She doesn’t appear to be as amused as you are, watching with a confused frown as you hold your face, nails digging into your skin as it strikes you how unaccustomed you are to the force of that smile – but since it kept making sudden appearances, you supposed you’d just have to get used to it. Why bother resisting it?  
“….ha. Hahaha….it wouldn’t, heh, have a taste….would it? It’s more of a….feeling...haha.”  
Your laughter cuts off as you lower your hands – Toriel’s expression becomes more startled than confused, and you can’t help but smile more.  
It was too funny.  
“Poison, I mean. Unless you meant it to have a taste? Sorry. The ones that have taste don’t taste very nice, do they? I can understand why you’d go with something tasteless – especially if you just want to knock someone out, or make them unwell.”  
Toriel’s frown deepens for the barest of seconds, her mouth opening in quiet puzzlement, before a sickening, hopeful smile appears on her face.  
_Too funny._  
“You’re….you feel….unwell, child? How awful, would you….like to lie down, perhaps?”  
“Oh, I’m fine. Toriel, is this how you kill humans, or do you use fire?”  
She blinks.  
“….pardon?”  
“Killing humans. How do you do it?”  
Toriel pauses a short moment more, before launching herself across the table – you don’t bother to move as a syringe sinks into your neck, a different drug running through your bloodstream; something more along the lines of….  
….

….a hallucinogenic.

….

_….Ruby._

“….now, please, be a good child, come with me...”  
You stay seated, slowly turning your smiling face up to Toriel – she stumbles back reflexively, as you continue to stare at her. Even you can now fully confirm that your eyes no longer carried that false sense of humanity you attempted to instill in them; you could practically feel the coldness, the lack of….anything.  
And now? You found yourself reveling in it.

“...oh. You’re going to have to try better than that, if that’s how you do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting to meet the gang!.....yaay..... '>.>
> 
> Got fanart, or just want to chat? Here's my tumblr!  
https://crusnikroxas.tumblr.com/  
And here's the Twitter!  
https://twitter.com/CrusnikRoxas  
Discord is here, too - so just message me if you want a link to the server! ^-^  
AND. And. Thought I'd mention that I do video game streams every Saturday at 9:30pm (French time)! >:D Feel free to drop in on the madness if you wish!  
https://www.twitch.tv/crusnikroxas


	4. Ustiones et Ossa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get a bit singed....

Toriel simply stares at you for a few moments, expression a strangely entertaining mixture of shock, confusion – and perhaps a touch of rage. Frustration? Frustration was closer to it.  
“...I don’t….I don’t understand, why….why….why must you insist in being so difficult?”  
You sigh, swaying ever so slightly as you stand – the different drugs running through your system may not be effecting you in the way she’d intended, but that didn’t mean you weren’t aware of them; though they were more of an annoyance than anything else, especially the ones effecting your vision…

_Don’tthinkaboutherdon’tthinkaboutherdon’tthinkabouther_

** _Concentrate. She’s talking._ **

“Why couldn’t you just be obedient? Can’t you….can’t you all see that I’m...”  
She releases a bizarre, haggard breath, something almost like a sob, her eyes wide and unfocused. But you didn’t have time for her to break down.  
“I was just asking you a simple question. How do you kill them? I’m not judging you for it, if that’s what you’re worried about.”  
Her crazed eyes flick down to you, some semblance of self returning to them.  
“...I...”  
She swallows thickly before continuing.  
“I do not. I simply….they need to _understand_. You need to understand, see? It’s so dangerous, so much….safer, here...”  
“So it’s in the rest of this cave, down those stairs, where they get killed? The other humans that have fallen?”  
She covers her mouth, letting out another odd gasp, her shoulders shaking at your words – before she suddenly stops, straightening, that small shred of clarity leaving her gaze.  
“….they needed to see. They wanted to. Child, tell me...”  
With that same speed she’d exhibited when she’d leapt across the table, she snatches your upper-arm in a bruising grip, fangs glinting as she smiled – you stare back impassively, silently judging that grip on your arm. You’d wager if you pushed just a little more, she’d be able to break bones, if she wanted to.  
“...is that what you want? To see? To see what happens to the ones who are ungrateful?”  
“...you know, Toriel, you’re starting to remind me of my mother….more and more.”  
Toriel blinks, shock clearing away the unstable emotions as quickly as they’d appeared, her grip on your arm loosening.  
“...y-your...mother?”  
“Oh, it’s not a good thing.”  
You take a breath, closing your eyes for a moment – part of you really didn’t want to do this, didn’t see a point in it, but another part of you…  
...well, you’d always wanted to confront your own mother, to tell her the cost of her actions. This was the next best thing, you supposed.  
“You see, she wasn’t the best woman, my mother. Cruel, in fact – and considering the fact that you’ve decided that drugging humans and ‘looking after them’ is a good idea….well, hate to break it to you, but that’s not care. If anything, it’s pretty much as far as you can get from being a ‘good mother’. Not that it really matters to me, but I just thought that I’d at least make that much clear.”  
As Toriel stares at you in an almost haunting silence, tears slowly fill her eyes; they slowly break over the edge, her expression crumbling into sorrow and grief – grief for the personality of the past she must have had, long ago.  
“I...I really am….I’ve...”  
She lets go of your arm completely, paws covering her face as she begins to sob.  
“….I really have….sunk so low, haven’t I...”  
As soon as your arm had been released however, your shoulders are grabbed onto, her streaming eyes filling your vision.  
“...I...we weren’t always like this….please, please child, believe me!”  
Your shoulders shift a little under the uncomfortable grip, which only seems to tighten.  
“...whether you were or you weren’t doesn’t matter much to me. But, that said….I guess I’ve had glimpses of…someone better. I don’t have a right to judge anymore, really.”  
Toriel’s eyes are confused as she processes your words.  
“Y/n….that….that was your name, correct? Why do you….you have that same urge to care, I can see it, child. Why would you not have a right to judge?”  
A humourless laugh escapes you.  
“Because I can’t say I’m the best person. Haven’t been for a long time, and it’s….not getting better. It’s getting worse, and I’m letting it – there’s no point in resisting it anymore.”  
Her claws dig into your skin momentarily, before her grip loosens, paws becoming soft on your shoulders instead of bruising. Still, what strikes you the most is how sad her expression is – not for herself this time, either.  
“….there is always a point. But I’ve been….it’s quite….hard, isn’t it? Especially when one is surrounded by such...”  
She shivers, shoulders hunching.  
“...there is so much darkness here, my child. So much hate, so much hunger….I am sure you saw the dust around here. Those were….they used to be other monsters. But as we are composed of magic, all that remains of us when we die….is that. And with the lack of food, the lack of hope, the weaker ones who lived here….they could not pull through.”  
“You couldn’t share?”  
She swallowed.  
“...it’s not that I...didn’t want to. I did, I swear it! But….well, they all seemed to be so suspicious of poor Sans – the one who passes food through the door. I could never understand it...”  
“...Toriel, you do realise what that ‘food’ is most likely to be, right?”  
She ponders that one for a moment – her hands slowly tighten and dig into your flesh once more, eyes growing wider with horrified realisation.  
“…._no_. They….he said that he….he said he would just teach them a lesson! That he’d….he’d look after them...”  
You roll your shoulders pointedly, which she actually seems to respond to, loosening her grip once more – though she doesn’t seem willing to let go of you quite yet, which irritates you.  
“Well, I’m guessing he probably didn’t want you to starve and die like the others. We do what we need to do to survive. Still, from your response….you’d never outright kill a human yourself?”  
She shook her head hurriedly, still looking vaguely sick – it seemed as if your ‘consolation’ wasn’t any kind of comfort at all. Mind you, if you thought back, you’d had to choke down your first few ‘emergency meals’ back on the surface, knowing the content.  
“….right. Well, I’ll need to leave here and head outside, then-”  
_“No!”_  
Toriel immediately becomes desperate – though instead of madness, her eyes fill with yet more tears; still, that didn’t mean that she was being any more careful with your shoulders. You really didn’t want any holes in some of your sole items of clothing.  
“No, no, please! I cannot allow you to – you just learned of what they do to humans out there, my child! You will be killed!”  
“No, I won’t be. I can’t die.”  
She freezes in her panic, staring at you with complete and utter puzzlement.  
“It’s true. Look, let go of me a minute, and I’ll show you.”  
Toriel bites her lip, looking down at your shoulders with obvious fear, almost as if she was afraid you’d vanish from the spot if she released you – but eventually, she does. Though it looks as if she immediately regrets it when you start walking over to the fireplace.  
“My ch….y/n, please, fireplaces can be quite dangerous-”  
“I won’t be hurt. Come, look. But trust me on that one – I will not be hurt by this.”  
Still looking at you with a gaze full of fear for your safety, she slowly does as you ask – still, regardless of your words, her arm snaps out as you reach towards the blazing fire with your hand. Letting out an irritated sigh, you look at her pointedly.  
“….what, would you prefer to burn me yourself?”  
She releases your arm as if _you’d_ burnt her at that, shaking her head in shock.  
“Goodness, no! But, a burn….they can be….quite serious….”  
“….that’s the idea. Remember what I said? I won’t get hurt.”  
“But….of course you would be hurting yourself, y/n! What are you even...”  
Having no more patience left, you plunge your hand deep into the embers – Toriel lets out a panicked shout, snatching your arm out quickly, which you openly roll your eyes at; still, you’d achieved your aim at last. Your hand was pretty well toasted, in fact.  
“Now, watch.”  
Toriel covers her snout with a gasp as your body slowly sheds the blistered skin, healing itself with ease….as your body always had, and always would.  
“...my child….your...”  
“I told you. I cannot die, and my body heals any and all injury. That’s why your ‘medicine’-”  
She flinches.  
“-didn’t work on me. For drugs to even take the smallest effect on me, you’d need to overdose me enough to kill several humans several times over – and I’m not exaggerating that.”  
“But that….still does….nothing?”  
“Aside from knocking me out or making me sick for a few hours, no. Nothing.”  
She falls quiet, still staring at your arm in mute shock; when she _does_ speak, her tone is obviously an attempt to stay calm – but a shaking fear is poorly concealed beneath.  
“So….so when you say that….on the surface, the humans had a food source-”  
“Yeah. That was me. I was….actually living in the village when Frisk came out. I can’t die. Believe me, I’ve tried-”  
You can’t help but yelp as she grabs you into a surprisingly gentle hug, her troubled breathing a signal she was keeping tears back.  
“My….goodness, I am….so sorry that you have suffered so, child...”  
You feel your muscles tightening the longer the contact goes on, your heart only becoming all the more cold in your chest at her words.  
“...I’m fine.”  
She pulls back at last, looking at you almost sternly.  
“You cannot be. We monsters naturally have a long life-span, but for humans – when you say your sister-”  
“I’m fine.”  
Toriel continues to watch you worriedly, to which you release another irritated sigh – she really wasn’t getting it, and you weren’t willing to continue this line of conversation anymore.  
“Let me go. I need to see the other….monsters.”  
“….y/n, even if you….have this ability….”  
Her gaze now becomes oddly thoughtful.  
“….I am not sure _how_ you have it, in all honesty…..even the mages could not regenerate at such a level, and they used magic to do so….but surely it must be some kind of-”  
“I don’t care what it is. I need to see the others.”  
She bites her lip, but slowly lets you go, releasing an oddly genuine chuckle of shame.  
“….I am….so sorry. I do not have….as much control as I thought I had, it seems. But y/n, those who live in the rest of the Underground will not be interested in your words, I imagine.”  
“They might when they hear what I have to say. I only have one thing I care about, Toriel – and that’s getting revenge for my sister.”  
She blinks, then almost immediately frowns, mouth opening to apparently lecture you; before she seems to realise just how hypocritical that was, her eyes becoming sad once again.  
“….the other humans….they killed her?”  
You swallow, averting your gaze, fists clenching – somehow, having someone pull such an expression about the subject….it _hurt_. Not that Flowey had been cruel about it, but his ‘face’ wasn’t exactly capable of expressing such sadness.  
Still, it showed that your choice was just. Toriel wouldn’t be capable of helping you achieve your goal – anger was what you needed. Anger and rage at the humans who had chosen to keep monsters trapped for countless years.  
“Yes. They….they need to pay.”  
Toriel sighs softly, a strange smile appearing across her lips.  
“….a long time ago, my….my partner said something similar, as well. ‘They need to pay for the sins they’ve committed’….I am sorry, y/n. Come, I will...”  
She swallows, hands shaking.  
“...I will show you to the door. I only ask for you to….please, do come to visit me.”  
“Why would you want me to do that? I mean, it’s obvious that you don’t agree with why I came here.”  
Toriel pauses, letting out another gentle sigh – she begins to pad her way towards the staircase, stopping to allow you to catch up, before continuing on; another small purple flame appears in her palm, lighting up the darkness of the staircase as the two of you descend.  
“...despite what you wish, I still believe you to be a kind person at your core, y/n. I cannot argue with your reasoning, given the….circumstances. But I still would like to know you – as you can imagine, I’m quite lonely here. It is a selfish request, I know, but...”  
You frown, letting out a quiet sigh of your own.  
“….if I have time.”  
She brightens considerably at that, the flame in her hand seeming to light up in reaction to her mood – magic really was a strange thing.  
“Thank you….thank you so much. And I will….”  
The flame dims again as her expression saddens, the pause stretching as you continue down the darkness of the hallway.  
“...I will work on….this control. And I am….I am sorry about your mother.”  
You shrug.  
“Don’t be. She’d been dead for years, thank god.”  
You plainly ignore the shock in her expression, keeping your eyes forward.  
“So, what is this ‘Sans’, like? And the other monsters?”  
She apparently still needs a moment to get over your callous comment, but when she finally does, her worry makes a reappearance.  
“….they are…._please_, do keep in mind that they’ve had it much worse out there that here in the Ruins. They are ruled by a truly horrific woman – Undyne. From what I can understand, poverty is only one of the many problems they’ve been faced with. So do not be surprised if they do not listen to your words.”  
“They’ll get bored after killing me a few times, I’m sure.”  
Toriel looks at you, once again, with horrified shock.  
“I really do not understand how you can be so….blasé about such things, y/n. Surely it must hurt, even if it heals?”  
“I’m fine.”  
A door slowly emerges from the inky darkness, and just as you’re about to continue on, Toriel stops you in your tracks with another hug – your body tightens up yet again, the sensation of someone other than _her_ hugging you painfully unfamiliar.  
“...remember when I said that fear was a natural thing? Pain is as well. It is unhealthy to ignore it.”  
“It’s worse to acknowledge it, trust me. I’ll be fine.”  
She lets go, but (to your absolute horror) quickly cups your face – you attempt to wrench yourself away, but she holds fast; not that she was actually hurting you, but the revulsion at the touch was staggering.  
“Anyone would be able to see that you are far from ‘fine’, child….but I cannot say that I am in a better state. Still, I worry for you, and I am sure that your sister-”  
_“Enough.”_  
Toriel releases you, apologies softly falling from her mouth as you finally escape her touch; you have to fight to scratch at your skin, an odd kind of sickness rising in your chest. Had you always hated people other than your family touching you? It had been so long since other humans had dared to come near you, you couldn’t tell – and oddly, monsters didn’t seem to be all that different when it came to how ‘human’ they were.  
But maybe that was simply down to how far humanity had fallen.  
“….enough. It’s one thing that you’ve known me all but an hour, but-”  
Your gaze hardens, and she visibly gulps.  
“-never speak for my sister. Never.”  
“...I….I apologise. Now, as for outside….I imagine that you will be found quickly, especially if you stick to the path.”  
“Good.”  
“I will….hopefully see you soon.”  
Her hand twitches, almost as if she’d been thinking of reaching out for you again, but thought better of it – instead, she pulls the massive stone doors open, an icy cold flowing into the passage. Seeing her attempts to not invade your personal space, and allowing you to freely leave, you find yourself relenting a little.  
“….as soon as I’m able. And if you receive another food order….don’t worry, and don’t refuse it. Alright?”  
Toriel swallows, practically turning green at the idea – but she nods in agreement all the same. Giving her a nod of your own, you stride out into…

...snow.

You look down and around you in shock; you’d been expecting yet more stone walls, but you were almost faced with a scene from the surface – well, the surface before the war, at least. It was surprising what a differences there were between ashes and snow.  
Ruby probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it – there was nothing more she’d enjoyed than taking that protective suit off, and nothing more she hated than putting it back on to go outside. Getting wrapped up and warm for cold weather would have been her idea of hell.  
You only jump ever so slightly when the stone doors slam behind you, Toriel’s gentle voice speaking from within.  
“….good luck, y/n.”  
Her footsteps slowly pad away, soft, quiet sobs echoing down the hallway hidden from your view; you frown, pressing a hand over your face for the briefest of moments – you didn’t have time for pity. And, oddly, you _did_ pity her – unlike the humans you knew and ‘loved’ on the surface, her cruelty didn’t appear to be driven from sadistic tendencies; she’d simply lost her concept of care to psychosis. Some part of you is actually shocked your words got through to her, but apparently…..they had. For how long for, you didn’t know, but at least it had been long enough for you to get through to see and speak to the other monsters.  
Sighing, you begin to walk forwards, bare feet protesting, skin breaking out into goosebumps as your body processed the shock of the cold; but it was all easy to ignore, compared to what you were used to on a daily basis. The air here was at the very least clear, the poison polluting the surface apparently unable to penetrate through the rock, despite there being a direct entrance to the place – you had to wonder how Frisk had escaped, all those years ago. That was going to be a problem, attempting to work out how to get the monsters out, considering they’d been unable to do it themselves after so long.  
You hum to yourself thoughtfully, looking all around as you step over a rather large branch lying in the middle of the path; that was another thing about your surroundings. Despite them looking rather sickly, there were _trees_, acres of them, all around you – you would have never considered that such plants would grow Underground, but apparently-

You stop dead as a loud ‘crack’ echoes from behind you – turning your head slowly, you note that the branch that you’d stepped over had been snapped and broken into smithereens.

“…hm.”

Well, it seemed that someone had noticed you, just as Toriel had promised; someone who apparently wasn’t willing to show themselves just yet. Shrugging inwardly, you turn back, continuing onwards down the pathway.  
A chuckle seems to sound right in your ear next – but since you were now fully expecting some kind of attempts to scare you, you simply shrug it off with a blink; the voice sounded masculine….well, whoever he was, he’d have to try better than that.  
For a while, all that could be heard were the sounds of your bare feet crunching through the snow; but soon, you began to notice other subtle sounds. The occasional snap of a twig, the rustle of leaves – obvious movement. But not much of it, you noted; whoever this guy was, he was simply revealing _just_ enough sound to be unnerving – or, at least, unnerving to someone who had the time for it.  
You stop dead in your tracks, turning to look in the last place you’d heard movement coming from.  
“….you going to keep up with this little haunted forest act, or are you going to stop, come out, and speak like an adult?”  
Silence.  
“Oh, so either you _are_ an actual child, or you’re a man who likes to act like one. Wonderful.”  
Rolling your eyes, you’re about to walk forwards – only to stop when you notice someone standing directly behind you; their breath was hot on your neck, such a stark contrast to the cold invading your bones. You don’t give him the benefit of whirling around in fear, however – it was clearly what he was aiming for, but you weren’t willing to play his little game.  
“….what, so you’re just going to stand there in silence, now? The least you could do is introduce yourself, after stalking me for as long as you have been.”  
He actually releases a bark of laughter at that; when he finally does speak, you find yourself feeling….strangely giddy. You frown, a hand settling on your sternum, where the giddiness seemed to concentrate.  
“….heh….buddy….don’t you know…..how to greet….a new friend? Turn around and….shake my hand...”  
His speech was slow, almost as if he was having trouble thinking of the actual words to use – still, it wasn’t too unusual to you, considering you’d seen the effects extreme hunger could inflict on a person. And now that you knew that famine was just as big a problem down here as it was on the surface….  
Ignoring the odd feeling, you turn, pointedly turning your face and gaze to the ground; knowing this guy, he was going to be deliberately pulling some sort of ‘spooky face’, or doing something else of that sort in order to win this little game of his. But you would not comply, you would not-  
-your eyes widen slightly as you note that the hand outstretched towards you was completely composed of bones. Either he was screwing with you again, or he was….a living, breathing skeleton.  
Your earlier thoughts of Toriel’s visage being the image of ‘demonic’ were thoroughly thrown from your mind.  
“….hey….s’rude to just…..leave a guy hangin’, heh...”  
Huffing, you reach out, and grasp onto the hand that was offered – only to immediately feel a blade stabbing straight through the centre of your palm. And as if that wasn’t insult enough, it began to spin, sending a torrent of blood flying out onto the perfect white of the snow.  
Silence hangs heavy in the air as the two of you stand like that, clasping onto each other's hands; he coughs, letting out an awkward laugh.  
“….uh….don’t you want me to….let go?”  
“Up to how much you want to rip up my hand, I guess.”  
His fingers twitch, clearly thinking that particular notion over – before he lets out a clearly irritated sigh at your lack of reaction, releasing your hand and stepping out of your line of vision.  
You impassively stretch your fingers, watching the ragged hole start to seal over; it was, however, annoying that your hand was now covered with blood. Bending, you wipe it clean on the ruined snow, before standing at your full height, looking your new ‘prankster’ friend in the eyes.  
The sight you’re met with is far eerier than a flower with an eye for a face, or the rather ragged looking Toriel – he was, as you guessed, a skeleton; that said, he was taller than you expected him to be, though far shorter than Toriel herself, but still a good head or so taller than you. The comfortable looking blue hoodie and white shirt he wore was stained with a myriad of blood splatters; and oddly, he’d chosen to pair it with an equally ruined pair of black basketball shorts and pink slippers.  
To each their own, you guessed.  
But what really drew your gaze was the gaping hole in his skull, and the glowing red iris hanging in his socket like some kind of warped moon. His remaining socket was simply an endless black void – he really was what someone would imagine up when stuck in a nightmare. Well, it at least cleared up any lingering mysteries surrounding his ‘speech impediment’.  
Right now, he was frowning with clear confusion at your now healed hand, looking down at the blood covered spike in his own and back again; almost as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and had to check.  
Slowly, he met your gaze, the red orb that apparently served as an eye glimmering as his frown twitched up into a sickening smile.  
“….y’know….that’s a pretty….dirty trick. Ruining a perfectly….good joke like that.”  
“Well-”  
You stop dead as you gasp, clutching onto your sternum as that odd giddiness makes a reappearance; only now, the sensation had doubled ten-fold, like a bizarre tugging at your core. And given that your new skeletal friend had let out a grunt of his own, apparently he was feeling it, too. Before you can even begin to question what the hell was going on, the tugging seems to amplify, rising and rising within you, tighter and tighter-

-until, it finally seemed to snap, the tension flooding out of your body, leaving…

...what looked to a be a butterfly composed of crystal, floating serenely just short of your hands clutching at your chest.

You watch with wide, unbelieving eyes as it drifts gracefully towards a similar mirage emerging from the equally shocked skeleton monster; despite being clear as glass, they both emitted a strange, ethereal light – something so beautiful in a world full of such horror.  
They dance up into the air, twirling around one another as if in joy, their glow growing brighter and brighter, almost becoming blinding – but at last, the two of them touch, the glow becoming a flash of light when they do so.  
Then, it was if they were never there in the first place.  
You slowly return your gaze back at the skeleton standing across from you; his iris fixes onto you as soon as you move, his fanged mouth hanging open, a look of pure horror across his features.  
That is, before he begins to laugh.

“Heh….heh...heheh…..you’ve gotta be….fuckin’ kidding me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. So that happened '>.>
> 
> Got fanart, or just want to chat? Here's my tumblr!  
https://crusnikroxas.tumblr.com/  
And here's the Twitter!  
https://twitter.com/CrusnikRoxas  
Discord is here, too - so just message me if you want a link to the server! ^-^  
AND. And. Thought I'd mention that I do video game streams every Saturday at 9:30pm (French time)! >:D Feel free to drop in on the madness if you wish!  
https://www.twitch.tv/crusnikroxas


	5. A Fato Torquentur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get even colder...

You find yourself unable to respond to his laughter, still staring blankly at him, all the while clutching  onto  the front on your shirt.

Some part of you wanted to laugh along with him, given the fact that the legend you’d foolishly dreamt about all these years would come true in this manner – _you_, paired with someone as warped as this.

But the rest of you….you wouldn’t say that you wanted to cry, but you were damn close to it. Your father’s hopeful words rung hollow in your mind; how you were sure to find someone wonderful, how your soul must be beautiful…

…this only proved how rotten you really were on the inside.

“...heh….hehehe….this is just some….screwed up human trick….right? Like that hand of yours….heh.”

You blink, seeing as he was now looking at you expectantly, expression possessing something closer to desperation, now that his laughter had faded at last. Running a hand through your hair, you wordlessly shake your head, much to his frustration.

“What’s….with that. Complaining earlier that I….wasn’t saying anything….yet you’re not answering now?”

He steps closer, grin widening once more.

“….answer me.”

You now release a frustrated noise of your own, thoroughly disliking this disruption.

“I already _did_. It isn’t some joke, or prank, or any bullshit like that – you think I would kid around with something like this?”

He stares, smile vanishing as his head tips to the side.

“So….you’re telling me….not only do you know….what _this_ means….that we’re….’meant to be’….but you also just heal up….?”

You shudder, scowling up at him – you needed to re-focus. Needed time to piece all of this together in your head, to get back on track with your plan. This could….wait. You wanted it to wait, dammit!

“...I don’t care about this whole ‘meant to be’ business. That doesn’t matter at the moment.”

The skeleton only looks all the more inquisitive at that, his gaze only becoming more intense as you continued on.

“And yes, I just heal up. Feel free to stab me wherever you please, if that’s what you want to do.”

He frowned.

“….huh. Well….a bit different to the….usual human, ain’t you? Mind you….can I really call you….human.”

You simply stare right back in silence, until his smile hitches back up again, and he looks away at last.

“….if I can’t call you that….guess I should ask you your name…..I’m Sans. Would say nice to….meet you, but...”

That red orb shifts back to you, his grin falling as he frowned once more; he was staring at you as if trying to piece something together that wasn’t making sense, exactly how you felt on the inside – the idea that the two of you were running in the same vein of thought had your metaphorical hackles rising, if you were honest.

“Yeah, likewise. I’m y/n. So you’re the one passing human meat through the door without telling Toriel what it is, huh?”

He seems to freeze momentarily at that, a completely different look of shock falling across his face at your words – interestingly, his iris seems to shrink massively.

“You….how did you….know?”

“Well, come on. Humans go out through the door, and meat comes back in – doesn’t take a genius to work it out. Playing on her psyche was pretty low, but I get you probably did it so she wouldn’t turn into dust, so...”

His iris narrows down all the more, before he appeared to forcefully collect himself; he shoves his hands roughly into his pockets, looking you over anew.

“….doesn’t seem to bother….you much.”

“Humans on the surface are pretty much the same. Though with someone who heals as quick as I do, that helps.”

Some part of you was screaming at you for speaking so freely with him – but you weren’t an idiot. Despite being pretty sickened by the fact your ‘fated one’ was a murderous skeleton who lived Underground, you didn’t feel any actual fear in regards to him. Not that you feared much, but it was worth noting that your body certainly wasn’t judging him as something threatening, considering the guy was very obviously covered with blood.

Sans’ iris narrowed down quite a bit at your words, mouth opening – before it shut with an audible snap.

“….seems pretty weird….that the humans would throw their only….food source down here.”

“They didn’t. I jumped.”

“….why?”

“To get you all out.”

“….you know we’ll probably kill them….right?”

“Yeah, that’s kind of the point.”

He laughs at that, long and loud,  as if you’d told the greatest joke he’d ever heard ;  gripping onto  his empty socket, he walks past you – before looking back, gesturing with his head.

“...come on. Guess I should….introduce you to my….bro.”

You start to follow him, only to stop briefly as you realised he didn’t intend to walk ahead of you – no, it appeared that he wanted to walk alongside. Not that it really mattered in terms of knowing where to go (the path was pretty linear), but you certainly weren’t taking comfort in it. Still, it wasn’t as if you were left with much choice, considering he seemed pretty set on doing so; gritting your teeth, you allowed it.

“You’re not….going to ask….about him?”

“Your brother? Well, considering I’m going to meet him, what would be the point?”

He frowned slightly, appearing to be slightly put out by your blunt answer.

“….heh. Well, I like talking about him….so tough.”

Apparently not put out enough.

“See, he’s….pretty set on hunting humans…..might take some convincing….that you’re not one.”

“I’m pretty sure I _am_ one.”

“….pfft. Bud, if….humans could do what….you can do…..don’t you think they’d be….more of them about?”

You stay quiet for a moment, before shaking your head.

“….my father was human. My mother was human. So that’d suggest that I’m human.”

“But….not a normal one.”

“Exactly.”

He hums thoughtfully, before frowning, one of his hands travelling up to the break in his head, almost touching it – but that hand is quickly shoved back into his pocket. You look at it curiously for a moment, something you’re sure he notices (considering he was back to staring at you) – but neither of you speak up.

Soon, the awkward silence breaks along with the pathway;  it opens up into a small clearing,  revealing a rather sad looking wreak of a shack, and a line of rotting corpses hanging from the trees. You look over them impassively, just about recognising some of the faces of past sacrifices. 

“Nice décor.”

He blinks at you owlishly for a few seconds – then a rather nasty smirk appears on his face.

“Good that you….think that. ‘Cause I think that…..the best thing would be….for you to hide behind that corpse over there.”

“...you want me to hide as you introduce me to your brother?”

The smirk vanishes. Appears that you’d ruined his fun.

However, Sans doesn’t have a chance to argue it, given the fact that he is suddenly very much covered with snow – he hurriedly brushes it off, looking up at what you assumed to be his brother; of course, another skeleton, though he was the polar opposite to Sans.

For one thing, the height difference was staggering – despite being slightly hunched, this new skeleton towered over both you and Sans; you’d even wager he was taller than Toriel at his full height, and that was saying something. He wore an odd sort of battered armour on his upper-half – at some point, long ago, it looked to be a bright white, but was now a rather sad looking grey. The rest of his attire was pretty odd, considering he was donning armour – a pair of worn out jean shorts, and what looked to be black tights; ripped and torn, but still covering the majority of his bones.

What struck you, however, was how different this one’s smile was – despite his teeth being jagged and suspiciously stained, his smile was oddly….pure. He looked genuinely happy to see his brother, even if Sans didn’t look particularly pleased about being covered with snow.

Just like how it had been with Toriel, it was like seeing a small piece of the past that must have existed once upon a time.

Still, this particular piece in particular left you feeling oddly….bitter. It wasn’t _anything_ like Ruby’s smile, not even close….but it reminded you painfully of the smile she’d often throw in your direction all the same.

However, as soon as his strangely small sockets caught sight of you, that sweet smile became almost manic with joy; he all but bounced over, reaching for you before you had a chance to protest – he swings your body a few times, squawking with obvious joy.

“Sans! _SANS!_ A human! And it’s here early!”

“…..uh. Bro….about that...”

Sans is promptly ignored as Papyrus finally stops swinging you, holding you at arm’s length to look you over properly – you stare back impassively, trying you best not to squirm in his hold (not that it would do much good – it seemed that, despite the famine, monsters were insanely strong).

“It’s also not scared! Unless it is? Human, are you scared?”

His face had been getting progressively closer to you as he spoke, manic smile only widening as you continued to stare at him duly.

“...am I supposed to be?”

“Well, humans usually are! Especially when-”

He unceremoniously drops you back into the snow, which does nothing to improve your current mood.

“-I start to tell them about the puzzles! Which are followed by death! Usually. Unless! Unless you pass all the puzzles, of course!”

He pauses, staring at you expectantly; his excitement only seems to somehow impossibly escalate when he notices your lack of reaction, which was a first for you, admittedly.

“SANS!”

Sans visibly flinches as his brother’s already loud voice booms more or less next to his skull; he takes a good, long second to stare, before making a noise that confirmed he was listening.

“Sans! Do you know what this means?!”

“….no. Tell me.”

“This human is _clearly_ a fellow puzzling fan!”

Sans’ iris looks over in your direction, before a slow smirk begins to spread itself across his features.

“...you know….you might just be….right.”

“Of course I’m right – how could I possibly be wrong about this, I’m never wrong! HUMAN!”

He whirls back around to you, grasping your arms in a bone-crushing grip – quite literally, as you most definitely felt your left humerus crack. Sighing in irritation, you mimic Sans’ earlier noise of confirmation, not trusting yourself to speak at the current moment of time – that lingering memory of his smile earlier was still hanging in the back of your mind, and frankly? You didn’t want to risk losing that small memory; not just yet.

“Prepare yourself! I shall ensure that my puzzles are on top form, just for you! Oh-”

His hands squeeze just a touch tighter – there went your other humerus.

“-where are my manners? I am the great Papyrus! Please try your best not to die immediately – I’m sure that the puzzles ahead will be very exciting for you!”

Just as you’re about to answer with your own name, he all but throws you away, shrieking excitedly as he runs back in the direction he’d originated from.

“SANS! YOU HAD BETTER CLEAN YOUR PUZZLES FOR THE HUMAN AS WELL!”

Sans and yourself stand in silence for a few moments as Papyrus takes his leave, before he lets out a long, tired sigh, rubbing at his empty socket with clear irritation.

“….great….thanks for more….work.”

You arms fuse back together as you let out a sigh of your own.

“You’re not the one who’s going to have to work out a load of puzzles, so stop complaining.”

Sans blinks with some evident surprise, mouth hanging open – apparently, he hadn’t been expecting that response, which left you with a strange sense of victory.

“…you’re actually….going to do them?…..the puzzles.”

“Well….yes? It doesn’t seem like I have much choice.”

“...you could just….ignore him. It’s not like….anything we do….will actually hurt you….well, I mean...”

He stared at you thoughtfully.

“...does it hurt? When-”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll do the puzzles, then I’ll be able to talk to you both about getting out of here and going to the surface. There are other monsters, right?”

Sans continues to look on in silence for a few more seconds, before letting out a rather dark laugh, his iris shifting away from you to stare at the tree-line.

“Yeah….there are. Not sure you’ll….be able to get much out….in terms of speaking to them though.”

“What, afraid they’ll actually manage to kill me?”

His eye snapped straight back to you at that, a scowl appearing on his face.

“….keep going down the path….you’ll get to the first one…pretty quick.”

Sans suddenly vanishes from the spot before you can answer him – in a rare moment of surprise, you look around with wide eyes, not quite understanding what had just happened; you vaguely remember things like this happening in science fiction movies, but….well, if using elemental magic was within reach for other monsters, surely something like this wasn’t too much of a stretch, right? At least it now made sense how he was able to jump from place to place earlier when he was trying to scare you.

Shaking yourself ever so slightly, you stretch out your freezing fingers, and flex your frozen toes, attempting to get back some sort of feeling into them – hypothermia would be annoying to deal with, you were sure. That was one of the few things you hadn’t had the joy of living through yet.

Regardless, you carry on; or rather, you’re about to, but you hear a faint ‘psst’ from the bushes nearby; as soon as your head turns in that direction, a familiar yellow flower pops up from the snow.

“Hey there, friend.”

“...oh. Flowey.”

You walk over, a little put off by the way he was staring up at you.

“Yup, that’s my name, don’t wear it out – you could sound a little more happy to see me, y’know?”

There’s an awkward silence as he waits for some kind of reaction; upon not receiving one, he sighs, carrying on.

“So, how goes your little mission to liberate the Underground, eh?”

“You say that as if you haven’t been watching.”

He shrinks in on himself slightly, letting out a sheepish laugh.

“….well, I mean, I haven’t been watching _all_ of it.”

“What _have_ you been watching?”

“...uh..”

Flowey’s gaze awkwardly shifts away from you.

“….so. Uh. That skeleton might be….a problem. You know. Considering.”

“Considering?”

He huffs in embarrassed irritation, leaves shifting in a manner that looked as if he was crossing his ‘arms’.

“The _soulmate_ thing. Considering that.”

He seems to shrink in on himself even more so when he dares to look back up at you, and your vaguely annoyed expression; you glare at him for a moment longer, before turning on your heel towards the direction Sans had pointed out.

“...it won’t be a problem, Flowey.”

He suddenly pops up in front of your feet, his eye wide.

“Wait wait – _how_? How the hell is that not going to be a problem? That guy is one of the main reasons why humans started to get killed down here for food in the first place! You really think that-”

“It won’t be a problem, because I’m not going to acknowledge it.”

Flowey blinks up at you dumbly.

“….are you _crazy_? No, wait, don’t answer that. Look, I don’t know what crap the humans spout on the surface, but _this isn’t just something you can __just __ignore_. It doesn’t work like that – I know that, the skeleton knows that, and-”

“I don’t care.”

Shaking out your feet in order to get some of the long-lost feeling back into them, you side-step him, preparing to walk around him again.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me! Seriously, this kind of thing goes deep, y/n. The longer you spend in his company, the worse it’s going to get! Your little goal will fly right out the window, and I don’t want to be down here any longer than I have to be!”

“...you said he’s one of the main reasons that humans are killed down here, right?”

You lean down to meet his gaze, causing him to shrink back into the snow once again, leaves covering his stem as if attempting to protect himself.

“…don’t forget the reason why I’m down here, Flowey, because I certainly won’t. Nothing else matters to me.”

“...not even….someone who-”

“Nothing. Else.”

You straighten, eyes as cold as the snow around you – now that Sans was gone, it was somehow easier to think, to focus; avenging Ruby was all you cared about. You just had to keep that in the forefront of your mind, and shove him to the back of it. Whatever Flowey thought, you would _never_ forget the last moments of Ruby’s life – and you would _never_ forgive.

Flowey lets out an audible sigh, petals shaking.

“….fine then, have it your way. But listen – sure, those little ‘puzzles’ might not faze you much, but watch out for any _howling_. If you hear it, run like hell, you got me? The dog monsters will just rip you into itty-bitty pieces, and I really doubt that-”

“It won’t hurt me. It’ll be annoying, sure, and it might take some time to re-grow limbs etcetera, but it won’t kill me.”

“….you’re kidding me. Seriously?”

You simply nod, choosing to step over him, patience wearing thin – he lets out an aggravated squeak, vanishing then re-appearing a little ways away, singular eye glaring at you.

“Ok, ok! Look, I’ll be….around. Just call me if you need me, or whatever.”

“Alright.”

With an annoyed huff, Flowey finally vanishes, leaving you and your frozen body to trudge through the snow towards your goal at last; you do your best to keep your mind occupied in order to ignore the gnawing cold, focusing on staring out at the trees around you as you walk – every so often, you could swear that you spot something strangely deer-like moving through the trees. Another monster, perhaps? It surely couldn’t be anything else – not that you knew anything of any other potential entities existing down here. That said, whatever it was, it didn’t seem to have much interest in coming to ‘greet’ you – at least not at the present moment, anyway, which you preferred, given the fact you were busy.

Eventually, you spot the pathway starting to open back up again – sensing another clearing, you hurry your frigid legs forwards; the sooner you hurried, the sooner you’d be able to get this damn puzzle business over and done with, and then perhaps you’d be able to finally thaw out your body somewhere.

You’re greeted by the sight of Sans and Papyrus patiently (somewhat, if you discounted Papyrus’ excited bouncing) standing across what looked to be a sheet of ice, cleared out rather neatly in the shape of a square.

“Human! Stop there, if you please!”

You do as you’re told, legs twitching and cramping as you come to a standstill.

“Wondrous! Now, as you can see, I, the great Papyrus, have constructed the greatest of puzzles! Well, one of. And Sans somewhat assisted. But no matter! Since we’re at such a high level of puzzling, and I and my brother are very merciful...”

Papyrus pauses, looking down at his brother expectantly – Sans simply grins, shrugging his shoulders lazily.

“...speak….for yourself, bro.”

“Alright – Sans is only somewhat merciful. But since I am taller, and therefore in charge of puzzling – you shall have a grand total of five puzzles, and three freebies! So all you need to do if you’re a little stuck is to hold up your hand to signify you want to use a freebie, then, well….you will? Though I won’t imagine that someone who loves puzzles as much as you _clearly_ do would use a single one!”

Papyrus grins at you in clear excitement, before letting out a business-like cough.

“Onto the first puzzle, human! You see that orb in front of you?”

Your eyes slowly travel down to the front of the ice sheet – there lay a blue orb, just as he had described. And, joy of joys, it looked as if it had been crafted out of solid ice.

“That look on your face seems to say that you do! Well, all you need to do is pick it up, and make your way across the ice towards us!”

You look back up at him, disbelief written all over you face; Sans lets out a snickering laugh in reaction, apparently enjoying this whole affair immensely.

“The puzzle is to pick up a ball and carry to across to you? That’s all?”

“Indeed! That is all! Completely all! Nothing else!”

Papyrus’ answer only makes the whole thing all the more suspicious to you, and given the fact that Sans was still laughing…

...well, it didn’t really matter.

Huffing out a shivering breath, you stoop to pick up the ball – it’s so cold that it sticks to your fingers almost immediately; perhaps that was the true puzzle, getting the damn thing off your hands by the time you made it across a sheet of ice. Or perhaps the ice would collapse beneath you, making you even more cold? Shaking your head, you take a step forward-

-only to be all but snapped in half as an enormous bear-trap emerges from the snow.

After the initial automatic jerk upon impact, you look down at it in irritation. With the hand that wasn’t holding the ball (you’re honestly surprised that you managed to keep a hold of it – but considering it was stuck to your hand, it wasn’t completely unbelievable), you attempt to shift the wickedly sharp jaws digging into your abdomen – you spit blood into the snow, a strange, strangled laugh bubbling up your throat. _Of course._ Of course it had to be a giant bear-trap, of all things – suddenly it seemed as if your life had turned into some sort of macabre cartoon. You look up at the skeleton brothers, who are watching you with growing shock from across the ice.

“Heh...am I allowed to put the ball down during this puzzle?”

Papyrus doesn’t answer immediately, his jaw hanging open.

“...Sans. Don’t they usually….die by now? Why is it laughing?”

“_Papyrus._ Is the ball allowed to touch the ground, or not?”

His attention snaps back to you at that, his shocked expression shifting into a confused frown – Sans more or less narrows his sockets at you, red iris shrinking ever so slightly.

“The ball is….allowed to touch the ground, I think? I’m sorry human, this is a very strange circumstance – not that it’ll help all that much, but would you like a freebie?”

“No, I’m good. As long as I can use both hands...”

You viciously shake the ice ball off your hand, letting out another annoyed sigh when a good layer of your skin sticks stubbornly to it as it falls to the ground – still, now that you could use both hands at last, you had at least some sort of a chance at getting the damn thing off of you.

Still, your clothes were pretty much ruined thanks to this. Wonderful.

Bracing your shoulders, you begin to stubbornly shove at the jaws, ignoring when the serrated edges tear into the flesh of your hands – luckily, the bear-trap hadn’t _completely_ ripped you in half; as long as the flesh was still connected, you would regenerate faster.

“….hey.”

You jump slightly as Sans’ voice sounds directly in front you – and there he was, staring at you intensely, red-iris widening and shrinking as he watched you struggling; Papyrus, however, was not best pleased.

“_Sans!_ Do not harass the human while it’s attempting to kill itself faster!”

Sans ignores him, continuing to lock gazes with you – you give him an unimpressed look back.

“...I don’t need a freebie, Sans. Like I said.”

“...you want me to….just leave you….like this?”

You can’t be quite sure if he sounds concerned at all; his tone was mostly curious. The fact that there was even the slightest bit of confusion regarding his emotions only pissed you off all the more; spitting more blood into the snow, you scowled at him, your tone clipped and bitter.

“I don’t want a freebie.”

“You won’t be….strong enough to….open those by yourself. Unless you have….some sort of super strength, as well?”

You pause in your shoving for a moment, giving him a dead-panned expression that more than answered your question, before going back to attempting to open the jaws.

“….you’ll die when you….get those open...you know.”

“No, I won’t. Go back to your brother.”

You’re fully prepared to ignore him, putting all your attention into getting the bear-trap open; blood starts to bubble down your chin as you grit your teeth with the effort, but you finally feel the jaws start to shift ever so slightly open. What you don’t expect is for him to sigh suddenly, then join you in prying the jaws open.

You look up at him in pure shock; he smirks.

“...don’t say….I didn’t warn you.”

With one final yank, he all but throws the bear-trap open, leaving your body to crumple heavily into the snow – landing with a thud, you sigh, looking down at your ruined body; but you were already starting to feel your spine begin to repair itself, your broken ribs start to crunch back into place….all while Sans watched on, sockets widening by the second. You can’t help but let out a humourless laugh at his face, raising a brow.

“...any more bear-traps laying around, by any chance?”

He looks at you with an almost horrified expression, before slowly shaking his head.

“…._fuck_, what….what...are you?”

“A human, like I said. Go back to your brother – once I’ve healed, I’ll be over there with that ball.”

He blinks, frowns, then crouches down, his iris widening as he examines your slowly closing centre closer.

“...hey. Sockets up here. I’d prefer you not to stare at my insides, if that’s good with you.”

His iris immediately snaps up to your face.

“...you...can’t be….human...”

“I am. Now, like I said-”

“SANS! SANS, DO YOU NEED ME TO RESORT TO ANTI-HUMAN-EATING METHODS?”

Sans immediately jerks away from you in an apparently automatic reaction, scowling over in his brother’s direction. Still, it seems to be enough for him to stop bothering you – with a single shake of his head, he vanishes from your side; you hear heated whispering from across the ice sheet as your nerves reconnect, your muscles knotting together as the ‘pain’ hits you – you keep your face as impassive as ever, looking up at the seemingly endless dark sky as you attempt to wriggle your freezing toes.

“Human! Are you dead yet?”

You sit up after a moment, making Papyrus jump about a foot in shock.

“Not yet. Be there in a second.”

Papyrus can’t do much but look on in startled silence as you stagger up to your feet, eventually grab the ball after some careful bending, then make your way over to the two of them with increasingly more confident footsteps. When you finally reach the end, you hold the ball up to him, staring him dead in the sockets. Sans merely stands next to his brother, watching you with an expression you can’t quite define, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

“...here you go. The ball, as promised.”

After a moment of looking at the offered ball as if it might bite him, Papyrus takes it warily; he then stares back down at you, his head cocked to the side.

“You didn’t die, human.”

For the briefest of moments, you feel your lips twitch, a smile rising to the surface; before you shove it back down.

“...I don’t die. Four more puzzles, right?”

His confusion only seems to mount; he bends, jagged teeth twisting into a frown.

“Human, _everything_ dies, that’s just silly. But yes!”

Papyrus appears to perk up suddenly, much to the surprise of Sans, who looks at him as if he’d grown two heads.

“Four more puzzles! I am glad that you are taking my very sound advice about not dying too soon earlier, but try not to take it too literally – it’s a little bit disturbing.”

Considering this was a horrifically tall skeleton monster with jagged, bloodstained teeth speaking about you being disturbing, you couldn’t help the small laugh that escapes you; Papyrus looks away awkwardly at that, letting out another business-like cough.

“W-Well then! Come Sans, the next puzzle awaits!”

Without waiting for his brother to answer, Papyrus flees into the distance, leaving a shower of snow in his wake; looking down at the new holes in your clothing, you tut gently – now your abdomen was going to get just as cold as your feet and hands. Lovely.

Sans watches on with that same rapt expression; an expression that was really starting to get your back up.

“...aren’t you going to follow after your brother?”

“Are you….serious? You want….to do…another one? After that?”

You level him with a scowl.

“I thought we’d agreed on this. I get your brother’s puzzles all done, then I get to talk to the two of you about getting to the surface.”

“I don’t….get you. It hurts, right? Why are you…..putting up with it?”

Your scowl only deepens at that, but he doesn’t seem to be too put off – he just continues to stare, unsmiling.

“...it doesn’t hurt. I’m fine.”

“You….can’t be.”

“I am.”

Sans frowns, before letting out a long, hard sigh – from his expression, it seemed that you’d irritated him at last.

“….you know….lying really….pisses me off.”

The two of you continue to lock gazes for a moment more; he eventually shrugs, turning to walk away, before pausing. Slowly, his singular iris focuses on you, flashing with that painfully clear annoyance you’d apparently inflicted.

“….we’re gonna have….a talk of our own. After this.”

With that, he was gone, leaving you shivering and more than a little angry in the snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun and games all round! >:D I'm trying to work off the puzzles in the Horrortale comic, so, uh, 'bear' with me ;)
> 
> Got fanart, or just want to chat? Here's my tumblr!  
https://crusnikroxas.tumblr.com/  
And here's the Twitter!  
https://twitter.com/CrusnikRoxas  
Discord is here, too - so just message me if you want a link to the server! ^-^  
AND. And. Thought I'd mention that I do video game streams every Saturday at 9:30pm (French time)! >:D Feel free to drop in on the madness if you wish!  
https://www.twitch.tv/crusnikroxas

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is....the start. READY TO GO ON THIS WONDROUS ADVENTURE? >:'D  
Pfft, anyways!  
Got fanart, or just want to chat? Here's my tumblr!  
https://crusnikroxas.tumblr.com/  
And here's the Twitter!  
https://twitter.com/CrusnikRoxas  
Discord is here, too - so just message me if you want a link to the server! ^-^  
AND. And. Thought I'd mention that I do video game streams every Saturday at 9:30pm (French time)! >:D Feel free to drop in on the madness if you wish!  
https://www.twitch.tv/crusnikroxas


End file.
